With the Milwaukee Brewers holding a commanding 3-0 series lead over the Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series, the offseason is officially on the doorstep. As the Boston Red Sox put the finishing touches on their offseason plan, one insider, former Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals GM and The Athletic writer Jim Bowden, projects a “big market bidding war,” including Boston, for top international free agent, third baseman Teruaki Sato. 

The 27-year-old spent most of 2026 at third base with the Hanshin Tigers in NPB. In 143 games, Sato hit .306/.383/.609/.991, led the league with 40 doubles, 39 home runs, and 106 runs driven in. Sato has some concerns, though: he struck out at a 26.7 percent rate in 2026, the third-highest in NPB. However, an 11.1 percent walk rate offset that somewhat; it was the ninth-highest in the league. 

Defensively, Sato profiles as a below-average third baseman. He also spent time in right field in 2026, where he was also below average. Ultimately, the 27-year-old could find a long-term home at first base or as a designated hitter. 

Hanshin posted Sato on Oct. 19; he has 45 days to sign with a team. However, that clock will pause at the start of the lockout on Dec. 1 at 11:59 p.m. ET if he is not signed by then. 

“Some teams believe he can stay at third base; others see him as best suited for first base or left field. Either way, the bat profiles for the middle of the order. I think he stays at third base initially and would be a perfect fit for teams like the Phillies, Red Sox, Angels and Yankees, which leads me to believe this will end up being a big-market bidding war,” Bowden wrote on Tuesday. 

Bowden projects Sato to land a hefty five-year, $180-million contract. However, Spotrac projects he'll land a three-year, $75-million deal. 

Put me in the camp that is skeptical that Sato will land a deal that pays him $36 million annually, even if a bidding war emerges among the big-market teams Bowden lists as potential suitors. It is worth noting that both Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami and Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto were projected to land much higher deals than the ones they eventually signed (two-year, $34-million for Murakami and four-year, $60 for Okamoto). 

Murakami faced concerns similar to Sato's about his strikeout rate and how it would translate to Major League Baseball. While Murakami struck out 35.4 percent of the time, the second-highest rate in baseball, he also hit 35 home runs, posted a .478 slugging percentage, and walked 16.6 percent of plate appearances. Murakami’s success in Chicago will surely help Sato’s market, but not by $19 million more annually. 

While Bowden projects Sato will stay at third base, Boston already has the likely Gold Glove Award winner at the position in Caleb Durbin. They’ll want to stick with him at the hot corner after building so much of their team identity on pitching and defense. With All-Star Willson Contreras handling first base, Sato would likely be a designated hitter in Boston at least for the remainder of Contreras’ contract, which has a team option for 2028. 

Now, financially, the Red Sox are in a precarious spot. With $268 million committed to 2027 before any additions, the team projects to be over the second-luxury tax threshold for what would be the third straight season. With so much of the financial landscape in flux due to the ongoing labor negotiations, it seems unlikely the team will add significant money before the lockout without first moving some money off the books. That said, if Sato’s market is closer to the $25-million AAV Spotrac projects, the 27-year-old seems like an ideal target for Boston. 

If Sato emerges as a target for both the Red Sox and the Yankees, it will be interesting to see how aggressive each team is willing to be to prevent the other from acquiring him.