Daily Sports hears Yankees are the most aggressive suitor for Hanshin's Teruaki Sato
An unnamed MLB source puts a one-year average of $20 million on the table. The report is a single-source rumor, and the clock may run out on Dec. 1.
Key points
- Daily Sports reported on Nov. 3 that the Yankees are the most aggressive bidder for Teruaki Sato, with the Mets also interested.
- The unnamed MLB-related source said an average of about $20 million a year, roughly 3.16 billion yen, would not be a surprise.
- The current labor agreement expires on Dec. 1, which Daily Sports says could effectively set the deadline.
Daily Sports published a headline on Nov. 3 that reads, in translation, that a bidding war has broken out in New York for Hanshin's Teruaki Sato. The article says the Yankees are serious and the Mets are interested. An MLB-related person told the paper that offers could top 3.1 billion yen a year. The body of the story puts that at an average of $20 million, about 3.16 billion yen.
The sourcing is thin. No team official is quoted. An anonymous MLB-related person describes the Yankees as the most aggressive club, and a veteran agent, also unnamed, says Sato would easily exceed the contracts of Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto. Daily Sports adds that the Phillies, Mariners, Cardinals and Angels may also show interest. It gives the Mets' interest more weight, saying their executives have been scouting in Japan.
Some of this checks out. MLB.com reported on Oct. 19 that Hanshin will let Sato be posted, that he hit .306 with 39 home runs and 106 RBIs to win the Central League Triple Crown, and that he will be 28 next season. Because he is older than 25 he faces no contract restrictions, unlike Roki Sasaki. MLB.com also said the Mets and Yankees were linked to him earlier this fall, citing Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The $20 million figure does not appear in any English source we found.
Daily Sports says MLB told all 30 clubs that Sato is available on Nov. 1 and that the 45-day window opens Nov. 2. It also notes that the current labor agreement expires on Dec. 1, which could effectively set the deadline for talks. If no deal is reached, MLB.com says, Sato returns to Hanshin for 2027.
Original Japanese headlines
阪神・佐藤輝 ＮＹで争奪戦勃発！ヤンキース本腰＆メッツも関心 ＭＬＢ関係者「１年平均３１億円超え提示も」
Daily Sports, Nov. 3, 2026
NPB MVP, Triple Crown winner Sato to enter MLB posting system
MLB.com, Oct. 19, 2026
Our read
Japanese outlets like a number with a yen sign on it, and 3.1 billion yen a year makes a clean headline. But the figure comes from one unnamed person, and the agent quoted has an obvious interest in a high number. We would treat the Yankees and Mets interest as credible, because English reports agree, and the price as unconfirmed.