According to a report from Mitch Bannon of "The Athletic," the Toronto Blue Jays do have interest in Japanese star Teruaki Sato this offseason. Now, we had heard the Jays linked to Sato earlier this offseason, but this is the first official report we've seen connecting the two sides.

And it makes sense, in a lot of ways:

We can talk about Tarik Skubal all we want, but at the end of the day, the Blue Jays need to get better offensively. They finished last in the majors in both runs scored and home runs. And Sato can help on both fronts. He won the Triple Crown in NPB in 2026, hitting .306 with 39 homers and 102 RBIs. Still just 27 years old, he has five seasons of 20 homers or more and four of 25 or more. He's a career .273 hitter.

The Blue Jays signed Kazuma Okamoto last offseason. If they are able to get Sato this offseason, they'll be increasing their brand awareness in Japan. That brand awareness helps breed new Blue Jays fans, which ultimately leads to more business opportunities and more revenue.

And with Okamoto and Sato in place, they'd have the ability to sell the franchise to other prospective Japanese players in the future.

While the interest in Sato makes sense, he isn't a perfect fit for the organization. He plays third base, which is occupied by Okamoto. He could play first base, but that's occupied by Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

And he can play a corner outfield spot, but the Blue Jays already figure to have three left-handed hitting outfielders in Brett Bateman, Addison Barger and Nathan Lukes.

Is the team ready to cut bait with Lukes, who was named a finalist for the American League Gold Glove award? Could they move Barger this offseason? And what about Anthony Santander, who is scheduled to be the designated hitter? How does he fit into the plans, especially after his controversial posts on social media?

The entire offseason is on a compressed timeline because of the looming Dec. 2 lockout, but things are moving even quicker for Sato. Once the lockout hits, his posting time will run out. Therefore, if he hasn't signed by Dec. 1 at 11:59 p.m. ET, he'll head back to Japan and the Hanshin Tigers.