PHILADELPHIA -- Dave Dombrowski said this week at the GM Meetings that the Phillies need to find an outfielder before Opening Day, and they do.
But he also said, “I'm not necessarily looking for our club to continue to get older,” and the Phillies “maybe have enough high-end players, and you mean to complement them with other players overall.”
Seiya Suzuki and Randy Arozarena are the top two MLB free-agent outfielders available. Suzuki is 32. Arozarena turns 32 in February. MLB Trade Rumors projects their contracts to be in the four-year, $100 million-$105 range ($25 million-$26.25 million average annual value). ESPN projects them at four years, $90 million ($22.5 million AAV). The Athletic projects them at four years, $108 million ($27 million AAV).
There’s no question that either player would boost the Phillies’ lineup in the short term and fill a gaping hole in the outfield. But they would make the Phillies older, and those projected deals would counter Dombrowski’s assertion that they have enough high-end players. (Other free-agent outfielders, by the way, include Ian Happ, 32, and Taylor Ward, 33 in December. Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández, who could be traded, is 34.)
It makes sense then that the Phillies have interest in Japanese slugger Teruaki Sato, according to sources. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported this week at the GM Meetings that the Yankees, Mets, Dodgers and Padres have interest besides the Phillies.
Sato is the Japanese star who was the 2025 Nippon Professional Baseball MVP and the 2026 Triple Crown winner. He is 27, making him younger than Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh. Sato is projected to make anywhere from five years, $80 million (MLB Trade Rumors) to five years, $105 million (The Athletic) to five years, $115 million (ESPN).
So Sato would make the Phillies younger at a relatively more affordable price (AAV in the $16 million-$23 million range).
There are challenges and considerations, of course. The Phillies have been trying for years to sign a Japanese free agent, but it’s been an impossible sell. Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, for example, had zero interest in signing with the Phillies when they had the opportunity.
Sato is not a strong defender, which is why the Phillies would want him to play right field as opposed to third base, which is where Aidan Miller is likely to open the season. Sato hits left-handed, which would make the Phillies even more left-handed at the top of the lineup with Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber.
Sato is a free swinger who strikes out a lot, but he hit .271 with a .337 on-base percentage and a .514 slugging percentage in his six-year NPB career.
“If you're a team that has a lot of bat-to-ball skills, you can handle a little bit of swing-and-miss,” one AL executive told Feinsand. “If you have a lot of swing-and-miss, you might be a little more averse to bringing on somebody like that. We’ve certainly seen [NPB players] adapt to our game here, which gives you reason to be more optimistic about the next guy translating to success.”
FanGraphs' Depth Charts has these 2027 projections for Sato:
• .247 AVG/.314 OBP/.468 SLG
• 30 HRs, 80 RBIs
• 112 wRC+ (12% better than an average hitter)
• 2.4 Wins Above Replacement
The Phillies had only two qualified hitters last season that ranked above league average by wRC+: Harper and Schwarber.
If it’s Sato, Suzuki, Arozarena or somebody else, the Phillies need that player to boost an outfield group that ranked 26th in MLB with a combined .686 OPS.