LAS VEGAS – The buzz in the lobby at the Aria Resort and Casino continued to focus on Tarik Skubal on Tuesday, and while the two-time Cy Young Award winner is unquestionably the best free agent available this offseason, it’s becoming clear that Teruaki Sato is the most intriguing one.
Sato, the 2025 Central League Most Valuable Player and 2026 Triple Crown winner, entered the posting system earlier this month, giving Major League teams a 45-day window to sign the Hanshin Tigers slugger.
A year ago, Munetaka Murakami was in a similar position, with questions about how his high strikeout rate and defensive concerns would translate to the Majors.
Murakami signed a two-year, $34 million deal with the White Sox, a contract many had projected would be considerably higher. Chicago’s gamble paid off, as Murakami hit 35 home runs with an .825 OPS in 127 games, finishing fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting. Murakami did rank in the bottom 1% of the league in both whiff percentage and strikeout percentage, but his elite plate discipline had him in the 99th percentile in walk rate and the 91st in chase percentage.
Could Murakami’s immediate success help Sato – a third baseman who has also played in the outfield – land a bigger free-agent deal than he did? It’s certainly trending in that direction during the opening week of free agency.
“When you have a guy come over and perform the way he did, that's a nice comp,” an NL executive said. “And we always think in comps in a lot of ways in this sport.”
The Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, Phillies and Padres are among the teams believed to have interest in Sato, which bodes well for the 27-year-old.
Sato struck out 327 times during the past two seasons, though that didn’t stop him from posting enormous numbers. An AL executive noted that roster makeup will have a great impact on that club’s willingness to take on a player who is likely to strike out with regularity.
“If you're a team that has a lot of bat-to-ball skills, you can handle a little bit of swing-and-miss,” the executive said. “If you have a lot of swing-and-miss, you might be a little more averse to bringing on somebody like that. We’ve certainly seen guys adapt to our game here, which gives you reason to be more optimistic about the next guy translating to success.”
ROYAL RUSH
The Royals were among the more disappointing teams in 2026, their 69-93 record resulting in a last-place finish in the AL Central. Kansas City seemed to be on the upswing after making the playoffs in 2024, but they won 82 games in 2025 and missed the postseason, then plummeted even further this past season.
If you think the Royals may take that as a sign to rebuild, think again.
“We’ve got a pretty good core here, so we don't look at ‘27 as a rebuild,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said. “We don't have time to rebuild; we went through that. We need to figure out how to get our pitching better right now so we can capitalize on the years that Bobby's with us. We’re definitely very aware of that.”
Bobby, of course, is All-Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., the face of the Royals’ franchise. In February 2024, Witt agreed to an 11-year extension worth more than $288 million, though the deal includes a string of player options beginning in 2031, meaning that Witt can elect to become a free agent after the 2030 season.
“We are very aware of the years with Bobby – and it’s not just Bobby,” Picollo said. “You’ve got Maikel Garcia, [Jac] Caglianone, [Carter] Jensen; there are some talented players on our roster that we're excited about. It’s the collective nature of those guys that creates that urgency for us.”
READY FOR ACTION?
Although there haven’t been any signings lighting up the meetings, agents and executives alike believe that November is going to be an action-packed month.
“I think the GM meetings were kind of a kickoff,” one AL executive said. “The fact that they're happening eight or nine days after the World Series is a little unusual. I expect things to get going here during the meetings or right after.”
Multiple agents said they have had more meetings with clubs regarding their free-agent players than they typically do at these November meetings, a signal that we may see a multitude of signings before the Collective Bargaining Agreement is set to expire on Dec. 1 at 11:59 pm ET.
“I don’t think any of us with the 30 clubs want to potentially go into a stoppage where we can't do anything to help our teams,” another AL executive said. “More of that is going to be dictated by the aggressiveness of agents; how quickly do they want their guys off the table? I think it could be a good November.”