The Hanshin Tigers just approved Teruaki Sato's request to be posted for MLB free agency, and to say he's coming off a career year would be an understatement.

Sato just won the Triple Crown in Japan's Central League after a 39-home-run season with 106 RBIs and a .306 batting average.

Fans of the World Baseball Classic may recognize Sato's name as he was part of Japan's national team.

Japan, captained by Shohei Ohtani, made it to the quarterfinals before losing to the eventual champions, Venezuela, 8-5.

Sluggers like Sato don't hit free agency too often, and he's got a laundry list of accomplishments to bring with him to the MLB, dating back to when he was named an NPB All-Star for the first time in 2021.

A disappointing offense in the National League Championship Series saw the Dodgers get swept by the team they swept in the NLCS last year, the Milwaukee Brewers.

Clearly, this team has a lot of thinking to do when it comes to constructing its lineup. Manager Dave Roberts knows just how much some of these players are getting paid, and to say they've failed to live up to those price tags would be an understatement.

After winning back-to-back World Series, it's clear the expectation in LA is World Series or bust.

Should they want to win it all again in 2027, look no further than Sato.

Sato, fresh off winning his first Triple Crown in 2026, won the following accomplishments in 2025: Central League MVP, Central League Best Nine Award, Central League Mitsui Golden Glove Award, and NPB All-Star.

Sato has been named an All-Star in all but one of his six seasons with the Tigers. He was part of the Japan Series Championship team in 2023, and has a career .271 average with 163 homers and 518 RBIs.

Recently, Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller named the Dodgers as the No. 4 landing spot for Sato.

There are other teams that need him more, no doubt, but LA doesn't mess around when these star players become free agents.

Sato, 27, is a third baseman and outfielder, so he would give the team a much younger option should they decide to move on from a guy like Max Muncy.

"Paying a $20M posting fee, a $20M salary and another $20M+ in luxury tax to get Sato would be excessive, even for them," Miller said.

Don't forget, there's a potential lockout on the way, so that puts LA in an uncomfortable position as they could go for broke and sign Sato immediately, or could take a wait-and-see approach, but that likely wouldn't end up working in their favor.