The Philadelphia Phillies are primed and ready to spend this offseason in an effort to improve a roster that needs upgrades at several spots.

President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski has proven time and time again that he isn’t afraid to take a big swing if it means improving the team’s odds of contending. He has acquired stars via trade and with free agent signings, which has led to five consecutive playoff appearances.

However, there is one thing that he hasn’t accomplished during his tenure with the Phillies that could change this offseason with the team being linked to Teruaki Sato: signing a player directly from Japan to an MLB contract. In fact, it has never happened in franchise history.

That puts Philadelphia on a list no franchise should want to be on. The Phillies are one of three teams in MLB that have never signed a player to a Major League contract straight from Japan, joining the Colorado Rockies and Miami Marlins.

Phillies need to build pipeline into Japan

Being on player acquisition lists along with those two franchises is not where any team wants to be. Philadelphia is a place that people want to be, based on the history of the franchise, the city and their willingness to spend to be competitive, but it has yet to break into the Japanese market.

That is something they should be looking to change, and could accomplish with Sato. Considered the best position player available in free agency this winter, the Phillies are viewed as one of the best fits for the Japanese superstar.

The Nippon Professional Baseball MVP will become the first player in 23 years, since Hideki Matsui, to win the award and then play in MLB the next year. He has set himself up for a nice payday, winning the NPB Triple Crown with a .306/.383/.609 slash line, 39 home runs and 106 RBI. For good measure, he added 40 doubles.

That kind of production would certainly look nice in the middle of a Philadelphia lineup that needs to find more sources of power. Alec Bohm, who has been a consistent source of run production for the team, is hitting free agency as well.

Sato would also fill positional needs. He can play third base, but is viewed by some as a first baseman or left fielder. While first base is occupied by Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber, the other two spots could use some help.

Ideally, the upgrade to the Phillies’ lineup would come in the form of a right-handed hitter, but Sato would certainly check a lot of boxes for what the team is looking for.

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