For years, the Philadelphia Phillies have talked about breaking into the Japanese and Korean player markets. This winter, they may finally have both the opening and the opportunity. Teruaki Sato, the Hanshin Tigers slugger, is now officially available. Ju Won Kim, the switch-hitting NC Dinos shortstop, is a name the organization keeps watching. And a handful of other Asian players have also found their way onto Philadelphia’s radar.
Sato Is Officially on the Market
Sato entered Major League Baseball’s posting system on November 2, along with right-handers Kaima Taira of the Saitama Seibu Lions and Hiromi Itoh of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. All 30 clubs can negotiate with him through 5 p.m. Eastern on December 16. But there is a catch. The current collective bargaining agreement expires December 1, and a lockout is widely expected. During the last lockout in 2021, posted players’ windows were frozen until a new deal was reached in March. Teams that want Sato have every reason to move quickly.
He arrives with plenty of credentials. The 27-year-old left-handed hitter won the Central League Triple Crown in 2026, batting .306 with 39 home runs and 106 RBI. That followed a 2025 season in which he won the Central League MVP with 40 home runs and an NPB Golden Glove. He helped Hanshin win the 2023 Japan Series and played for Samurai Japan in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
The Phillies’ interest goes back a long way. In May, general manager Preston Mattingly and several other team officials traveled to Japan to scout Sato in person. The club sent scouts back in October to watch Hanshin’s Climax Series loss to the DeNA BayStars.
The interest has been reported again and again since then. Jon Heyman of the New York Post linked the Phillies to Sato in August, along with the Mets, Yankees and Dodgers. In October, Joel Sherman of the Post wrote that Philadelphia was the team he heard about most often as a fit for Sato at third base, because the club wants “a stronger footprint in Japan” and is losing Alec Bohm to free agency. On November 6, Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that multiple sources had confirmed the Phillies’ interest.
Sato also has a small Philadelphia connection. Sports Nippon reported that he grew up admiring Bryce Harper.
The Questions About Sato
The biggest issue may be where Sato would play. The Inquirer reported that the Phillies would likely use him in left field, even though he played mostly third base in Japan. Two talent evaluators from outside the organization told the paper they graded him as a below-average defender at every position. Sato also struck out about 27 percent of the time over the last two seasons, though he walked at a solid 10.3 percent rate.
Then there’s the lineup balance. Harper and Kyle Schwarber already anchor a lineup that leans heavily left-handed, and adding Sato would push it further in that direction.
The price is another unknown. Sherman reported that Sato is expected to “outdo Murakami financially.” Munetaka Murakami signed a two-year, $34 million deal with the White Sox last winter. Jim Bowden of The Athletic went much higher and projected five years and $180 million. The posting fee owed to Hanshin would come on top of that: 20 percent of the first $25 million, 17.5 percent of the next $25 million, and 15 percent of anything above $50 million.
Sato’s case is helped by what happened last year, when Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto combined for 68 home runs in their first major league seasons.
Ju Won Kim Is a Longer Play
Ju Won Kim is not available this winter. The Phillies’ interest in him is about the future. Reports say the club has repeatedly scouted the 24-year-old NC Dinos shortstop, and several other major league teams are watching him too.
Kim hit .280/.361/.427 in 2026 with 18 home runs and 30 stolen bases in 131 games. That followed a 2025 season with an .830 OPS and a KBO Golden Glove at shortstop. He has also built a reputation with his glove. He won the KBO’s award for the best defensive play of August 2026 and was a key part of South Korea’s Asian Games gold medal team this fall.
The timing could work out well for Philadelphia. Kim may not be posted until after the 2027 or 2028 KBO season, if at all. Bryson Stott is set to reach free agency after next season, and questions about Trea Turner’s defense at shortstop have not gone away. A switch-hitting shortstop with speed and a strong glove would fit the Phillies’ long-term plans.
Other Names to Watch
Korean third baseman Si-hwan Roh was posted by the Hanwha Eagles. Because KBO players get a 30-day window, his runs out December 1. The 25-year-old right-handed hitter batted .283 with 25 home runs and 96 RBI in 2026. Writers covering the Phillies have suggested him as a cheaper, right-handed alternative if Sato signs elsewhere. Keep in mind that this is outside analysis, not a confirmed report of Phillies interest.
Teen right-hander Shoki Oda is another name to know. The 18-year-old ace of Yokohama High School reportedly threw 97 mph at Koshien this summer, which would be the fastest pitch in the tournament’s history. He has said he plans to skip Japanese pro ball and sign in the U.S. On November 5, reporter Francys Romero said Oda was expected to meet with several clubs, including the Phillies. He would likely be eligible to sign when the international signing period opens January 15, 2027, unless labor issues push that date back.
Some analysts have also pointed to Cubs free agent outfielder Seiya Suzuki as a right-field option and as a player who could help attract other Japanese players.
A History the Phillies Want to Change
The Phillies have had only two Japanese-born players, Tadahito Iguchi and So Taguchi, and neither started his career in Philadelphia. Only two Korean players, Chan Ho Park in 2009 and Hyun Soo Kim in 2017, have played for the club. The Phillies made serious runs at Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, and both ended up with the Dodgers.
Dombrowski has said the problem used to be information. He told reporters at the 2023 Winter Meetings that when he first arrived, “We just didn’t have good information on those players.” He has also said he doesn’t want to sign a player from Japan just to say the club did it. In his words, “I don’t think it’s important to just do it to do it.”
Philadelphia now has the scouting system in place and roster holes at third base and in the corner outfield, although prospect Aidan Miller could be an answer at third base. As Cole Weintraub of NBC Sports Philadelphia put it, “It might only take one successful signing.” With the general managers’ meetings underway in Las Vegas and a lockout three weeks away, we may soon find out if Sato is that signing.
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