White Sox Could Target Japanese Stars Again This Offseason

The White Sox shocked the baseball world last offseason by signing Munetaka Murakami out of Japan, and there is now another opportunity for the team to land a second Japanese superstar in as many offseasons. News broke earlier this week that the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball will be posting Teruaki Sato, their star player, this offseason as he looks to move from Japan to MLB.

Sato, 27, is a five-time NPB All-Star and won the 2025 Central League MVP award. He also took home the Triple Crown in the Central League this past season with a .306 batting average, 39 home runs, and 106 RBI. A left-handed hitter standing 6-foot-1 and weighing 207 pounds, Sato has experience playing both the infield and outfield professionally in Japan and has taken a massive leap over the past couple of years. He has established himself as one of Japan’s premier players and will become one of the most intriguing free agents available to MLB teams once he is officially posted.

Teruaki Sato destroys a 480 ft MOONSHOT 🚀

111.9 mph off the bat for his 24th bomb 💣 https://t.co/2L2hDxEI3k

— Yakyu Cosmopolitan (@yakyucosmo) August 11, 2026

Logical Interest

From the White Sox standpoint, the potential interest is obvious. The team struck gold with Murakami, and even with his lofty strikeout totals and inconsistent performance in the second half, he was easily worth every penny of what they paid him this season. He helped transform a franchise coming off three straight 100+ loss seasons into one of the feel-good stories of MLB in 2026, clinching a playoff berth for the first time in five years in the process. His arrival also renewed interest in the White Sox among baseball fans in Japan, something that hadn’t existed for over two decades. Adding another prominent Japanese player like Sato would further establish the White Sox as a household name in Japan while adding another dynamic young player to the roster.

Unlike last offseason when the team was still deep in a rebuild and willing to take chances on anyone who would sign with them, the circumstances are different now. With the position player side of the roster fairly set in stone heading into next year, Chris Getz will have to be more particular about the hitters he adds this offseason and how they fit into the core the team is building. And in Sato’s case, the fit isn’t entirely straightforward.

Potential Concerns

Sato is actually quite similar to Murakami, as both are big left-handed power hitters who strike out a lot. Sato recorded a 26.7% strikeout rate in his final NPB season, slightly lower than Murakami’s 28.6% mark before coming to MLB. However, Sato also posted a lower walk rate at 11.1% compared with Murakami’s 14.3% and is more prone to swinging at pitches out of the strike zone. Murakami’s strikeout rate jumped nearly 7% once he came to MLB, and it’s fair to assume Sato would encounter a similar spike in strikeout rate against better competition. With both Murakami and Colson Montgomery already in the lineup as high strikeout left-handed hitters, the White Sox would need to consider whether adding another player with a similar offensive profile makes sense.

Defense is another area where Sato and Murakami are similar. Like Murakami, Sato played mostly third base in Japan. Recent reports, however, suggest that MLB teams could try to shift him to first base like the White Sox did with Murakami in 2026. With Miguel Vargas and Murakami set in stone at both infield corners, there is no room for another starting corner infielder on the roster. Sato does have 262 games of experience in right field in NPB, and that would likely be where the White Sox envision him playing should they have serious interest in him.

Possible Contract

Money is an additional consideration. Murakami ultimately got way less than initially expected last offseason, settling on a two-year, $34 million contract with the White Sox, while fellow Japanese player Kazuma Okamoto got a four-year, $60 million contract from the Blue Jays. It’s tough to estimate what Sato will get given the impending lockout, but either way, his résumé and the success of Murakami and Okamoto in their debut seasons in MLB will likely get Sato a significant payday.

Shota Morishita

Sato’s teammate on the Hanshin Tigers, Shota Morishita, could ultimately be a better choice given the rest of the White Sox lineup. While he lacks Sato’s résumé, the 26-year-old right-handed hitting Morishita has come into his own in NPB in recent years. This past season with Hanshin, he hit .292 with 31 doubles, 35 home runs, 84 RBI, and a .951 OPS in 143 games while playing exclusively right field.

SHOTA MORISHITA THREE-RUN HOME RUN 🤯

TEAM JAPAN TAKES THE LEAD 🇯🇵 https://t.co/VWSSNuNxEH

— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 15, 2026

The biggest difference between Sato and Morishita is strikeout rate. Morishita struck out just 15.4% of the time this past season. The White Sox could use another right-handed hitting outfielder who can put the bat on the ball, and Morishita fits the mold and is just entering his prime years. It’s possible he won’t be posted until next offseason, but he is a name to keep an eye on nonetheless.

Japanese Pitcher Targets

While Sato and Morishita are intriguing for obvious reasons, the White Sox may choose to prioritize their financial resources toward the pitching staff rather than the lineup. If that is the route they choose, several Japanese pitchers are also coming to MLB who could appeal to them.

Kaima Taira

Kaima Taira of the Seibu Lions is expected to be posted this offseason and is a clear fit on paper for the White Sox. Scouts from the team already attended his starts in Japan earlier this season, and as a 26-year-old right-hander coming off his best season with a 1.36 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and 8.7 K/9 across 146 innings with the Lions, he is a much clearer fit for what the White Sox need than Sato. Even though he is undersized compared to the typical MLB pitcher at just 5-foot-8, Taira makes a lot of sense from a roster need perspective.

MLB scouts from the Yankees, Cubs, Mariners, Rangers, Angels, Tigers, Padres, and White Sox were reportedly in attendance last night to watch Seibu Lions ace Kaima Taira throw 7 shutout innings with 9 strikeouts while averaging 97.3 mph on his fastball. https://t.co/z359RwPBH5

— Yakyu Cosmopolitan (@yakyucosmo) August 26, 2026

Hiromi Itoh

Hiromi Itoh of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters is another possible option for the White Sox. The 29-year-old right-hander won the Japan equivalent of the Cy Young Award in 2025 but had somewhat of a down season in 2026, allowing 184 hits in 172.2 innings. Still, he recorded a respectable 3.18 ERA with a 1.26 WHIP and 8.3 K/9. There is some concern that Itoh might be a reliever at the MLB level as he is also undersized at only 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds, but even if that proves to be the case, the White Sox could use all the help they can get to fortify the pitching staff. Itoh would make sense for that reason.

Hiromi Itoh reaches 1,000 career innings pitched and picks up 8 shutout frames in the process ✅

8.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 85 P, 16 Whiffs https://t.co/jOM3v3Ln1E

— Yakyu Cosmopolitan (@yakyucosmo) September 26, 2026

Kona Takahashi

Kona Takahashi was posted to MLB last offseason but ultimately went unsigned and went back to NPB. A teammate of Taira on the Seibu Lions, the 29-year-old right-hander had a strong 2026 season, recording a 2.64 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 7.4 K/9 in 143.1 innings across 23 games. Standing at 6-foot-2 and 198 pounds, he lacks the stuff and upside of Taira but still represents another option for the White Sox as a potential back end of the rotation starting pitcher.

Total domination by Kona Takahashi against SoftBank ⚡️⚡️⚡️

8.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 11 K, 125 P, 24 Whiffs

Most strikeouts in a start since April 8, 2023 (exactly 3 years ago) 🤯

The fastball topped at 96 mph 👀 https://t.co/JCLb0Zpl6P

— Yakyu Cosmopolitan (@yakyucosmo) April 8, 2026

Big Offseason Ahead

It is a foregone conclusion that the White Sox will look to upgrade the roster after the season they just had. How they will accomplish that remains to be seen, but there are multiple scenarios in which getting back into the Japanese player market makes strategic sense with the roster needs and the desire to continue building a pipeline of talent from the region.