Yankees could look to Japan to solve infield, but the star they need isn't Teruaki Sato

The infield is going to be a burning question that the New York Yankees must answer this offseason. The club cannot go into 2027 with Anthony Volpe starting at second base and Ryan McMahon at third.

The name on many folks' minds that could change the game for the Yankees is NPB superstar Teruaki Sato. We've heard that New York will do its darndest to dump McMahon and his $16 million salary, but at the same time, we've heard that the club will not be in on Sato due to defensive concerns.

Not all the insiders feel the same way. Jim Bowden of The Athletic sees an old-school Yankees-Red Sox bidding war going down over Sato. Bowden also sees the chase getting pricey, projecting a five-year, $180 million contract for the 2026 NPB Triple Crown winner.

We feared that might be the case after the success of Munetaka Murakami this season. Murakami smacked 35 dingers in 2026, but he also hit just .207 while striking out 35.4% of the time. Sato's profile is very similar to Murakami's, and it's unclear if Murakami's relative success is replicable. Furthermore, the Yankees need more contact, not less.

However, the Yankees could look to one of Sato's countrymen to fill the infield void. Yokohama DeNA BayStars second baseman Shugo Maki is also looking to be posted this offseason, and he could check a lot of boxes for New York, all while coming in at a lower price.

Shugo Maki, not Teruaki Sato, is the NPB star that best fits the Yankees' roster

Maki is a 28-year-old right-handed hitter who is coming off a career-best 30-homer season, while slashing .283/.363/.564. He struck out just 17.9% of the time and has never posted a K-rate over 19.4% in his career. Conversely, Sato has regularly posted strikeout rates in the high 20s, including a 26.7% mark this season.

Maki also recorded an 89.4% zone contact rate in 2026, which is significantly better than Sato's 81% mark. Both numbers are sure to drop against MLB pitching, but where Maki ranks is high enough that he can take a hit and still be productive. Sato, on the other hand, will need to produce absolutely elite power to support a sub-80% zone contact rate in the majors.

Then there's the fit on the Yankees' roster. Sato would play third, which means if the Yankees move Luis Garcia Jr.'s position, as they've hinted at several times, he'd end up at second base, a position that he's already proven he can't handle from his time in Washington. If Sato is as poor a defender as the Yankees (and others) fear, Ben Rice doesn't make significant improvements with the glove, and Garcia Jr. flounders at second, this could be an historically bad defensive infield.

However, Garcia Jr. has played a decent first base, so there's some reason to believe he could be a solid third baseman, as some of the quick-twitch fielding actions translate across the diamond. Maki isn't renowned for his defense, but he could be serviceable.

The fact that Maki hits right-handed is important, too. Sato's another lefty bat, and the lineup is already far too left-hand-heavy.

Finally, there's the fact that Maki is a battle-tested playoff vet. He serves as the BayStars captain and won the 2024 Japan Series (the NPB championship), and though Yokohama fell to the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in this year's Japan Series, Maki put together a magical postseason performance.

All in all, Maki is a better fit for the roster, has the leadership intangibles and playoff experience, has a safer profile, and will most likely come in cheaper. For all of those reasons, he's a great choice for the Yankees and a better option than the bigger name in Sato.

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