Yankees Eyeing Teruaki Sato to Replace Ryan McMahon

Teruaki Sato won a Triple Crown in Japan, prompting projections that the New York Yankees will target the star infielder.

The New York Yankees face a critical offseason following consecutive disappointing playoff runs.

The team is evaluating options at third base after Ryan McMahon struggled following his arrival via trade. McMahon posted a .213/.279/.357 slash line with a 78 wRC+ across 360 regular season plate appearances in 2026. Joe Najarian wrote for Sports Illustrated that the team received neither the Gold Glove defense nor the offensive production they banked on when acquiring the 31-year-old infielder. Fast-forward to October 2026, and the Yankees have gotten neither.

Alternative internal options currently present distinct roster challenges. Jose Caballero experienced poor results at third base during the 2026 campaign, while Anthony Volpe remains in developmental stages at the position and lacks ideal arm strength.

Teruaki Sato enters the Major League Baseball market after being posted by the Hanshin Tigers. David Adler of MLB.com noted that the 27-year-old left-handed slugger arrives as the reigning Nippon Professional Baseball MVP and Triple Crown winner.

The best hitter in Japan is coming here next season. Now the 27-year-old lefty slugger has been posted by his NPB club, the Hanshin Tigers, and has his sights set on the big leagues, MLB.com’s David Adler wrote.

Nick Selbe of Sports Illustrated compared Sato’s profile directly to Munetaka Murakami. While Murakami attracted caution from teams due to swing concerns before signing a $34 million deal with the Chicago White Sox, Sato maintained a lower strikeout rate during his career in Japan. Sports Illustrated’s Nick Selbe believes he will sign with New York.

Sato’s profile is strikingly similar to Munetaka Murakami’s. He’s a bat-first corner infielder with a ton of thump and plenty of swing-and-miss in his game, though he did not strike out nearly as much as Murakami during his NPB career. The holes in Murakami’s swing scared off enough teams last winter that he had to settle for a relatively modest $34 million deal with the White Sox—a pact he vastly outperformed with his electric rookie season. Sato will likely do better than that in the market, Selbe wrote.

Sato is a proven hitter, and last season, he was the best in Japan.

David Schoenfield of ESPN reported that Sato’s left-handed power makes him an intriguing target given the scarcity of big hitters in free agency. The MVP and Triple Crown winner for the Hanshin Tigers of Japan’s Central League, Sato’s left-handed power makes him one of the most intriguing free agents once he’s posted, especially considering the lack of big hitters in free agency, Schoenfeld wrote.