Jon Heyman surfaced a name earlier this month that’s worth keeping in the back of your mind: Teruaki Sato.
In a New York Post report on August 13, Heyman listed the Yankees among the clubs connected to the Japanese slugger, along with the Mets, Dodgers and Phillies. Sato is a 27-year-old third baseman for the Hanshin Tigers, and he’s expected to pursue MLB after the 2026 season.
That said, “linked” is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. This is not a signing, and it’s not even the kind of thing that screams serious negotiations. It’s a rumor - a loose one - but still an intriguing one because Sato is regarded as one of Japan’s top power hitters.
The timing is what makes the whole thing pop a little more now. Ryan McMahon went on the 10-day IL on August 21, retroactive to August 20, after suffering a Grade 2 sprain of his left thumb. He hurt it while sliding into second base against Baltimore.
And yes, Heyman’s Sato report came eight days before that.
So no, the Yankees weren’t connected to Sato because McMahon got injured. The interest appears to have been there already. Still, with McMahon sidelined, that August 13 mention feels a lot less random than it did at the time.
Maybe Sato ends up as just another name in the Yankees rumor swirl. Maybe he’s one to file away for later. For now, it’s only a link.
But it’s a pretty damn interesting one.
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