Should The Royals Take A Risk On Japanese Superstar?
The Royals would benefit from going after yet another star out of the NPB -- but they’d have to part with one of their most loved players
Teruaki Sato, of the NPB league, is on the market for MLB teams after posting a 39 home run season with a .991 OPS.
Although the Royals are unlikely to land him -- he will likely be in high demand after teams saw what Munetaka Murakami did this year who had similar numbers in NPB -- he would be a great fit under certain circumstances.
Sato plays right field only which is a spot that’s currently filled by young star Jac Caglianone. So there would need to be a bit of a shuffle in the offensive roster. What would make the most sense, as we have suggested as a possibility in the past, would be moving fairly beloved Royal Vinnie Pasquantino. Then you could move Jac to first base, his native position, which would severely reduce the many nagging injuries he developed while chasing balls in the outfield this year.
From a fandom standpoint, Vinnie would be a very tough player to see go. Not only does he have a lot of talent; he also has a personality that brightens up every room he walks into or is on the TV on. The fans love Vinnie -- Maybe not more than Salvador Perez or Bobby Witt Jr -- but a whole lot.
However, Vinnie has a massive problem. Pretty much every season he’s taken part in, he’s had a slow start and these slow starts seem to be lasting longer and longer into the season. For the first half of the season in 2026, he posted a .653 OPS. That’s good for second worst on the team. On top of that, at age 29, he’s entering into the part of his career where the majority of MLB players start to decline.
Trading Vinnie wouldn’t just open up first base for Jac, it would also offload Vinnie’s $6,900,000 salary for the 2027 season; simplify the Royals DH situation which was a revolving door of Salvador Perez, Carter Jensen, Vinnie Pasquantino, Jac Caglianone, and whoever the most recent rehabbing player might be at the time; and possibly land them a solid bullpen arm or two.
At the end of the day, Sato will likely get at least what Murakami landed in terms of a contract, which saw him receiving $16,500,000 in 2026; so the Royals who said they are going to be “agressive in aquisition … not neccesarily payroll” are unlikely to sign him even without having to pay Vinnie.
It would just be nice to see the Royals take a risk for once. A risk that isn’t extending their manager a year early after a losing season.