Yankees’ Teruaki Sato Fears Could Lead to Brian Cashman Calling Rangers to Address Third Base

The Yankees might need to do more homework on the third base trade market if they have some pause about Sato.

If the New York Yankees have some trepidation about Teruaki Sato playing third base in the majors, they need to look elsewhere for an upgrade. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Heading into free agency, New York Yankees fans hoped general manager Brian Cashman would address third base by pursuing NPB star Teruaki Sato, who is coming off a Triple Crown season with the Hanshin Tigers.

Sato would represent an upgrade over what the Yankees got from Ryan McMahon this season, who hit a pedestrian .213 with 11 home runs, 41 RBI, and a .635 OPS in his first full year wearing pinstripes. Sato, meanwhile, hit a blistering .306 with 39 home runs, 106 RBI, and a .991 OPS.

Despite that clear distinction, the Yankees reportedly still have some trepidation about Sato’s ability to play at the hot corner, according to Jack Curry of the YES Network, who spoke to Michael Kay on “The Michael Kay Show” earlier this week.

What I’m hearing about the Yankees and Sato is they have some pause about his ability to be a third baseman at the major league level. The offense is elite. He was a Triple Crown winner in Japan. Lot of strikeouts, not a lot of walks. I would not envision that he ends up being the answer for the Yankees at third.

Jack Curry to Mic

Yankees fans might be scratching their head after reading those comments from Curry because McMahon wasn’t great defensively at third base in 2026 (.960 fielding percentage, -3 Defensive Runs Saved Above Average, and nine errors). But for better or worse, they kept running him out there.

That said, if that’s how the Yankees’ brass feel about Sato, they’ll need another way to fix the position that doesn’t involve Luis Garcia Jr. or free agency, as the options are not spectacular. Therefore, the next best route is the trade market, where Yankees fans would love to get Issac Paredes from the Astros. But another third baseman that’s worth kicking the tires on in the AL West is Texas Rangers Josh Jung.

Yankees should inquire about Josh Jung this offseason as a third base solution

Yankees fans might not be in complete love with this idea, given that Jung has battled injuries throughout his career and didn’t look good defensively this season (-12 Defensive Runs Saved Above Average).

However, Jung, a right-handed bat, hit well in 2026. And offensively, he’s much better than McMahon at this point. The 28-year-old infielder slashed .299/.365/.462 with 27 doubles, 12 home runs, 42 RBI, and a .827 OPS in 104 games.

While Jung was solid against right-handed pitching this season (.276), he crushed left-handed pitching with a scorching .366 average. Meanwhile, McMahon was anemic against southpaws (.193), and the Yankees were ranked 14th in the majors against lefties (.245 average).

Jung would seemingly give them a boost there and another right-handed bat, as the Yankees have a lot of left-handed hitters in their lineup.

As for a trade, the Rangers wouldn’t give Jung up for nothing. He’s arbitration-eligible and won’t hit free agency until 2029. Texas president of baseball operations Chris Young told reporters at his end-of-season presser that the Rangers need to get younger, athletic, and more dynamic (h/t Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News).

If you’re the Yankees, would you be willing to toss Will Warren and/or Elmer Rodriguez, plus Jasson Dominguez, as a conversation starter for Jung? It’s a question that Cashman will have to ask himself often, as those three players in particular could be potential trade candidates this winter for New York.

Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see where the Yankees go at third base since they have their thoughts on Sato. Isaac Paredes would be the dream acquisition, but Cashman might have to think outside the box to find what he’s looking for.

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