Slugging Japanese superstar Teruaki Sato has reportedly been posted, giving teams like the Boston Red Sox and others around Major League Baseball an opportunity to sign him in this 45-day window.
There’s a hope and expectation that Sato is going to be one of the better hitters in Major League Baseball when he comes over from Japan, though as the Red Sox and other teams have found out, there’s never a guarantee that guys are going to translate into the players that everybody hopes for them to be.
In regard to what Sato might be looking for in a potential contract, he’s not one of the guys who can only be had for international money. The Red Sox and other teams in baseball are going to have to pay him a pretty penny.
One recent prediction saw him land a five-year, $180 million deal. While that’s a lot of money, the more promising situation is that Boston was named as a potential suitor.
“Some teams believe he can stay at third base; others see him as best suited for first base or left field. Either way, the bat profiles for the middle of the order. I think he stays at third base initially and would be a perfect fit for teams like the Phillies, Red Sox, Angels and Yankees, which leads me to believe this will end up being a big-market bidding war,” Jim Bowden wrote.
Sato is coming off a ridiculous season in the NPB for Hanshin, posting a .991 OPS, a .306 batting average, and hitting 39 home runs with 106 RBIs.
There’s a strong argument to be made that he’s the best offensive player available in baseball this offseason, and to see that the Red Sox might be interested is a very promising sign.
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