The New York Mets‘ 2026 season has not gone according to plan.
They are in last place in the NL East, and despite playing well since the All-Star break, it’s too little, too late, as New York is several games out of a Wild Card team.
While the season has been a disappointment, this offseason could be another chance for the Mets to make amends, and according to a recent report, the club is interested in 155-home-run slugger Teruaki Sato.
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Mets Reportedly Interested in Teruaki Sato If He’s Posted
GettyTOKYO, JAPAN – MARCH 08: Teruaki Sato #7 of Team Japan rounds base hitting RBI double in the eighth inning during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool C game between Australia and Japan at Tokyo Dome on March 8, 2026 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Getty Images)
According to Jon Heyman, if Teruaki Sato is posted this offseason, the New York Mets are expected to make a strong push for him.
Sato, 27, has played six seasons overseas in Japan and has 155 career home runs in 793 games.
If you remember, he played with Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic this past March. Over five games, he hit .300 with three doubles in 10 at-bats.
In 2026, he’s hitting .318 with 27 home runs, 76 RBI, and 120 hits across 103 games.
His OPS this season is 1.026 with the Hanshin Tigers. He’s listed as a third baseman and outfielder. If you remember the Munetaka Murakami sweepstakes this past offseason, the Mets were linked to Murakami for the majority of his free agency (from when he was posted until he signed with the White Sox), but didn’t want to ink him to a deal worth more than 3-4 years.
It’s common for teams in MLB to be hesitant to sign these Japanese sluggers with large power outputs in NPB due to the idea that the power will not translate into the Majors, which can be the case sometimes.
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More on Teruaki Sato…
GettyTOKYO, JAPAN – MARCH 08: Teruaki Sato #7 of Team Japan hits a RBI double in the eighth inning during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool C game between Australia and Japan at Tokyo Dome on March 8, 2026 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Getty Images)
In 2025, Sato hit 40 home runs and drove in 102 runs with the Hanshin Tigers over 139 games.
Across 2818 at-bats in Nippon Professional Baseball, Sato has an OPS of .848 with 762 hits and 488 RBI, so as you can tell, he’s a premier slugger in the league, and fairly comparable to Kazuma Okamoto and Seiya Suzuki.
Both Suzuki’s and Okamoto’s power have translated pretty well into MLB.
It could be worth it for the Mets to land Sato, and he could either slot in at third base or be the team’s DH.
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