Dodgers are being linked to another Japanese league MVP

The Los Angeles Dodgers may once again be going Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Dodgers are being linked to Teruaki Sato, the star third baseman for the Hanshin Tigers of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported this week that the Dodgers are an early potential suitor for Sato, along with the New York Mets, the New York Yankees, and the Philadelphia Phillies (with the Mets in particular already said to be “scouting and considering” Sato).

Sato, 27, is a lefty batter who has been with Hanshin since 2021, making four All-Star teams and winning Central League MVP in 2025. He hit .278 with 40 home runs, 102 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases during his MVP year and is now batting .318 with 27 homers, 76 RBIs, and five stolen bases through 103 games this year.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers already obviously have quite the collection of Japanese players on their roster. Namely, they have Shohei Ohtani (who was a Pacific League MVP winner in Japan), Yoshinobu Yamamoto (a three-time Pacific League MVP in Japan), and Roki Sasaki (a two-time All-Star in Japan).

Relatedly, the Dodgers also have a strong and longstanding relationship with the Japanese community. This even includes a recent naming rights partnership with UNIQLO, a Japanese retailer, resulting in the team’s stadium now being known as UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium.

Of course, the Dodgers do not necessarily land every single star Japanese free agent these days (such as Munetaka Murakami and this other big name who even said that he was purposefully avoiding the Dodgers). But with the team having a need at third base as Max Muncy is turning 36 later this month, Los Angeles at least makes plenty of sense as a favorite to potentially sign Sato if he gets posted by Hanshin.