Reds Have a Chance to Make a Big Splash With Japanese Slugger

The Cincinnati Reds' outfield left much to be desired offensively in 2026. JJ Bleday was signed to a one-year deal just before the season and, despite a hot start, fizzled out near the end of the year, hitting under .220. 

TJ Friedl and Will Benson played so poorly that the team designated them for assignment. Spencer Steer suffered a wrist injury, and Noelvi Marte, moved to the outfield in 2025, proved to be a bust. 

The bright spots were Dane Myers, who hit .257 and played stellar defense in center field, and Blake Dunn, who competed well at the plate, on the base paths, and in the field before suffering a season-ending injury in June that led to him getting elbow surgery. 

While I think Steven Kwan would be an excellent trade candidate this offseason because of his consistency on offense and past relationship with Terry Francona, and Ian Happ could also be a good signing, Cincinnati could make a big splash overseas and sign Japanese outfielder Teruaki Sato after it was reported that he would be posted by his NPB team, the Hanshin Tigers, after the Japan Series, as the plan is to sign with a team before the likely lockout coming in December. 

Sato, 27, is known as a boom-or-bust power hitter with a very aggressive approach from the left side of the plate. He hit .306 with 39 home runs, 106 RBIs, and a .991 OPS in NPB last season, won the NPB Triple Crown, and proved he belongs in MLB. 

This could be a perfect boom-or-bust signing for the Reds this offseason, as they will be looking specifically for left-handed power hitting in the corner outfield spots. Sato can also play third base, which could fill a hole there. He would be a very exciting complement to Sal Stewart and Elly De La Cruz.

He could earn a contract similar to those of Munetaka Murakami or Kazuma Okamoto, who signed two years for $34 million and four years for $60 million, respectively. That is within budget for a Reds team looking to get creative and add offense this offseason. 

The Reds have signed a Japanese player before, when they acquired Shogo Akiyama before the 2020 season. The contact-hitting outfielder disappointed in a Reds uniform, playing 142 games over two seasons, including the shortened 2020 season. He was OK in 2020, hitting .245. But he hit barely over .200 in 2021. He also never hit a home run for the Reds after setting the standard by going yard high off the batter's eye in center field in a preseason scrimmage against the Detroit Tigers in 2020.