Report: Diamondbacks doing due diligence on Japanese star Teruaki Sato

The Arizona Diamondbacks are in need of a left-handed bat, and The Athletic reported they are looking into arguably the most intriguing option on the free agent market: Teruaki Sato from Japan.

According to Ken Rosenthal, Katie Woo and Will Sammon, the Diamondbacks are “doing their due diligence” on Sato, a 28-year-old, left-handed slugger who has been posted this offseason.

The Diamondbacks were among the worst-hitting teams against right-handed pitching last year (.697 OPS) and stellar against lefties (.782 OPS), an imbalance that is an issue when most pitchers throw right-handed (around 70% in a given year).

Arizona owner Ken Kendrick told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo that payroll is expected to decrease next season, although he did not specify how much so. The Diamondbacks have money coming off the books for Zac Gallen and Lourdes Gurriel Jr., among others, plus the club needs to figure out how to handle their complicated Ketel Marte situation given his no-trade clause.

Sato’s name is going to come up a lot over the next couple of weeks in headlines. The New York Yankees, New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers are among teams with reported interest. His typically 45-day posting window will be cut short by the expected lockout, meaning if he does not sign by Dec. 1, he will have to play another year in Japan.

The left-handed slugger finds himself in a free agent class headlined by pitchers, most notably two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.

He is also joining the league in the midst of a wave of high-level talent coming from Japan. Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto hit 35 and 33 home runs as major league rookies last season, respectively.

Why is Teruaki Sato highly sought after?

Sato hit .306 with 39 home runs and 106 RBIs in 143 games played in a league considered pitcher-friendly — his home ballpark with the Hanshin Tigers is also considered a better environment for pitchers.

He owns elite bat speed with easy, raw power, hitting 40 home runs in 2025.

Teruaki Sato's power is far and away his calling card and he put it display on this swing. Splitter fading down and away, he gets pulled onto his front side but is still able to leave the yard dead central with relative ease. pic.twitter.com/HJ2ElZRaMQ

— Aram Leighton (@AramLeighton8) November 3, 2026

Sato went 3-for-10 with three doubles during the World Baseball Classic last spring, hitting second in the lineup behind Shohei Ohtani for a stacked team. He blasted a home run off Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell during an exhibition game in 2025, leading the Tigers to a win over Los Angeles.

Sato is already a five-time NPB All-Star and in line to win his second straight Central League MVP.

What are the risks?

There are some obvious questions about his game, including defensive positioning. Sato has mostly played third base with some experience in the outfield, which is where The Athletic reported Sato would likely play in the U.S. That is where he played in the WBC, as he possesses a strong throwing arm that is not consistently accurate.

The question of whether or not he can play first base has been brought up by reporters this offseason, as well.

Sato also swings-and-misses … a lot.

He made contact on 67% of his swings, compared to 77% being MLB average. Part of the equation is he simply swings the bat a ton, hacking at more than half of the pitches thrown his way in 2026 (52.4% compared to the MLB average of 47%).

He is an aggressive hitter who chased at a nearly 36% rate last year, so there is risk in his profile when projecting what he may do against big leaguers.

I see a lot of varying data points from Teruaki Sato.

Here is his OFFICIAL NPB-licensed data:

117.0 MaxEV
93.3 Avg. EV (Sat over 94 much of 26’)
74.6 MPH Avg. Bat Speed ⚡️
55.3% Hard-Hit%
18.4% Barrel%
35.7% Chase%
29.5 ft/s Max Sprint Speed pic.twitter.com/rAxDwIiKSs

— LouisAnalysis (@LouisAnalysis) October 20, 2026

Murakami is an easy comparison to Sato as a left-handed bopper who made the transition last year, although Murakami walked way more often and chased fewer pitches out of the strike zone in his last NPB season than the latter.

Murakami had the second-highest strikeout rate in MLB as a rookie, but he also worked the second-highest walk rate with the 10th most home runs, making up the difference for the playoff-bound White Sox.

He signed a two-year, $34 million contract with the Chicago White Sox that looked like a great deal for the organization in hindsight, which may help Sato’s market. Randy Arozarena, Seiya Suzuki and Brandon Lowe are some of the other big hitters available.

ESPN projected Sato would sign for five years and $115 million, a $23 million average. The Athletic’s Tim Britton predicted five years for $105 million, $21 million per year. The shorter window to sign may impact those numbers.

Sato’s raw numbers and bat speed suggest he could be a star in the big leagues. Can Sato make the adjustments to let his impressive power play in MLB without getting bogged down by strikeouts and chase?

Lots of teams, the Diamondbacks included, are reportedly interested in learning more.

The D-backs have a third baseman in Nolan Arenado who is willing to move across the diamond to first base.

The outfield is right-handed heavy aside from right fielder Corbin Carroll, while the designated hitter spot does not have an obvious answer presently.

Arizona’s pool of young players and top prospects are predominantly right-handed hitters, including Ryan Waldschmidt, Jordan Lawlar and top prospect Demetrio Crisantes.

Sato would fit the roster in that sense even with questionable positioning, but the bidding will be steep for a player who is high risk and high reward. The D-backs have been burned by spending big on free agents in recent years, which is not in of itself a reason to shy away, but perhaps could lead to some hesitation. If Sato’s market dives like Murakami’s did last year, that may be a more likely opportunity for Arizona to take advantage of as it looks to shake up the roster.

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