Another one of Japan's top stars is heading for a career in Major League Baseball.
The Hanshin Tigers announced Monday that they will be posting reigning Central League MVP Teruaki Sato for major-league teams this off-season, the Japanese news agency Kyodo has reported.
“I am grateful to the team for respecting my wishes,” Sato said in a statement from the Tigers.
Sato, 27, is coming off a 2026 campaign in which he won the Central League Triple Crown by slashing .306/.383/.609 with 39 home runs and 106 RBIs.
Over six career seasons with the Tigers, Sato has hit 167 homers and posted an .854 OPS.
He also played for Japan in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, going 3-for-10 over five games with three doubles.
The left-handed-hitting slugger has spent the majority of his career with the Tigers at third base, but has also logged defensive innings in the outfield over the past two seasons. In 2026, he played 125 games at third and 18 in the outfield.
Hanshin did not announce when Sato will officially be posted, but it likely won't happen until the Nippon Professional Baseball schedule concludes following the Japan Series, which is set to get underway on Sunday.
Once Sato is posted, he will have 45 days to sign a contract with an MLB club. The Tigers will then receive a posting fee determined by the size of the deal. The fee will be 25 per cent of the first $25 million of the contract, 17.5 per cent of the next $25 million and 15 per cent of any amount over $50 million.
Last off-season, Japanese stars Kazuma Okamoto, Munetaka Murakami and Tatsuya Imai all made the transition to MLB. Okamoto signed with the Toronto Blue Jays for $60 million over four years, Murakami with the Chicago White Sox for $34 million over two years, and Imai with the Houston Astros for $54 million over three years.
It remains unclear how MLB's labour uncertainty will impact this year's international free agents, but it appears likely that Sato would have to sign a deal before Dec. 1 to avoid having his window cut short by a potential lockout.
