The Pirates have one obvious opening this winter, and Teruaki Sato looks like the kind of player who can fill it with force.
Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball announced that they will post the Japanese superstar, giving MLB clubs a 45-day window to negotiate with him. During that posting period, teams can offer whatever money they want, aside from paying a release fee to Hanshin.
For Pittsburgh, this is the kind of swing that could change the shape of the roster. The Pirates haven’t had much success chasing international free agents of this caliber, but Sato lines up as a rare fit for a club that needs more certainty at third base and more thump in the middle of the lineup.
That position was unsettled for Pittsburgh in 2026, with several players rotating through the job. Nick Gonzales handled the bulk of the work there, and the bat helped - he finished sixth in MLB with a .302 batting average - but the defense lagged badly. His -15 defensive runs saved and -11 outs above average were both the worst marks for any third baseman in 2026 among players with at least 850 innings.
Sato would bring a very different profile. He has played 593 games at third base across six seasons with Hanshin since 2021, and he won the Mitsui Golden Glove Award there in 2025, an honor given to the nine best defensive players in NPB.
The bigger draw, though, is what he does at the plate. Sato has hit .273/.338/.516 with an .854 OPS in his Hanshin career, piling up 846 hits, 195 doubles, 28 triples, 167 home runs and 542 RBI. He’s been an All-Star five times, with selections in 2021-23 and again in 2025-26.
The peak keeps getting higher. In 2026, he won the Triple Crown by leading NPB with a .306 batting average, 39 home runs and 106 RBI. Before that, he was the 2025 Central League MVP after hitting .277/.345/.579 with a .924 OPS, plus 149 hits, 34 doubles, 40 home runs and 102 RBI.
That kind of pop would stand out in Pittsburgh right away. His 39 home runs this season were twice the total of the Pirates’ primary third baseman, who combined for 15.
The Pirates do have other pieces in place around him. Bryan Reynolds, Oneil Cruz and Esmerlyn Valdez give the outfield some punch, Spencer Horwitz and Ryan O’Hearn are at first base, Konnor Griffin is at shortstop, Gonzales is part of the infield mix, and both Rafael Flores Jr. and Endy Rodríguez showed improvement in 2026.
Even with that progress, third base remains a spot where Pittsburgh could use a true impact bat. Sato would give them that, along with a stronger glove.
Jared Triolo would also remain in the picture as a backup option, and he brings Gold Glove credentials of his own.
This isn’t a market the Pirates have traditionally attacked. Their last major international free-agent signing was Jung Ho Kang from South Korea, who signed for four years and $11 million on Jan.
16, 2015. But last offseason showed they were willing to at least chase big names from Japan, with Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto both on their radar.
Okamoto was the more closely linked target, especially because Pittsburgh needed a right-handed power bat and help at third base, but he ended up with the Toronto Blue Jays on a four-year, $60 million deal.
Now the question is how far the Pirates are willing to go. Their projected payroll sits at $100 million before any new additions, and owner Bob Nutting’s willingness to push beyond that is unclear. A lockout and labor fight between the owners and the players’ union are also expected this offseason, which could shape the spending environment.
Pittsburgh was aggressive last winter, signing O’Hearn to a two-year, $29 million deal and trading for Brandon Lowe, who hit 35 home runs. A move for Sato would be even louder - the kind of statement that says the Pirates are serious about building a playoff team in 2027.
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