David Stearns is already setting NY Mets fans up for a repeated disappointment

As you might remember, David Stearns went ahead and personally scouted Munetaka Murakami in Japan ahead of his posting window last offseason. If nothing else, it was a symbolic gesture that the New York Mets were planning to make a serious run at the 2022 NPB triple- crown winner.

Of course, what actually transpired was impossible to predict. Murakami, mostly due to serious concerns about his strikeout rates and bat-to-ball skills, was met with an uninviting market. Most teams, including the Mets, backed off their initial pursuits, leaving him to sign a deal well below expectations (two years, $34 million) with the Chicago White Sox.

Murakami made the rest of the league pay for that hesitation, hitting 35 home runs and guiding the White Sox to the ALDS in his first season stateside. You can be sure everyone has learned their lesson and won't be repeating the same mistake with the latest NPB triple crown winner, Teruaki Sato, this time around.

As fate would have it, Stearns reportedly went back to Japan to do another in-person scouting trip, this time specifically for Sato. How good of an omen is that?

Bo Bichette's decision to stay with Mets complicates pursuit of NPB star Teruaki Sato

There's no denying Sato's offensive ability; he just wrapped up his triple-crown campaign hitting .306 with 39 homers and 106 RBIs, good for a 192 wRC+. He's hit 79 home runs in the past two seasons combined, slugging nearly .600 in that timeframe.

Like Murakami, there are concerns about his strikeout rate (26.7% in 2026) and how his power-heavy game will translate to MLB. But in a very weak free agent class for bats, teams will have to throw caution to the wind to acquire a 27-year-old with his kind of upside.

The problem for the Mets comes down to Sato's fit on the roster. Save for two innings at second base (in 2022) and one game in left field (in 2025), he's only ever played third base and right field. Those two positions are already spoken for in Queens now that Bo Bichette has opted into his contract for next year. Carson Benge, of course, is the surefire starter at the latter position following his excellent rookie season.

That doesn't mean that Stearns should just let Sato pass him by; you could at least try one of Sato or Bichette at second base while keeping the other at third, or you could simply entrust the cold corner to Sato and remove some of the defensive burden off his plate as he makes the transition to the U.S. It's not a perfect solution, but it's workable.

This will really come down to Stearns' willingness to go all-in on a player who hasn't yet played in the major leagues. He wasn't ready to make that commitment to Murakami. Perhaps Sato impressed him enough in Japan to change his tune.

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