The San Diego Padres have a ton of roster holes this offseason.

According to Dennis Lin of The Athletic, they're targeting Japanese-born players to fill them.

Lin reported that among the Padres' top free agent targets are three Japanese-born players: Outfielder Seiya Suzuki, left-handed starting pitcher Shota Imanaga and corner infielder/outfielder Teruaki Sato.

Suzuki and Imanaga have both spent their entire MLB career with the Cubs. Sato is coming to MLB this offseason after spending the last six seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball.

"San Diego’s targets include multiple Japanese-born players who could make a significant impact — and potentially signal an aggressive approach to the offseason," Lin wrote. "The Padres, the sources said, have expressed interest in left-hander Shota Imanaga, outfielder Seiya Suzuki and infielder Teruaki Sato, among other former Nippon Professional Baseball stars."

Padres Interested in Seiya Suzuki

Suzuki, 32, has spent the last five years with the Cubs after signing a five-year, $85 million deal out of the NPB.

The outfielder has a career MLB slash line of .269/.351/.472 with 113 home runs, 382 RBIs and an OPS of .823. His OPS+ of 128 ranks nearly 30% above league average.

In 2026, Suzuki also turned into an elite defender, thus putting together his best all-around season yet. Across 143 games, he hit .270 with 26 home runs, 86 RBIs and an OPS of .841. His 5 Outs Above Average ranked in the 89th percentile of MLB. He finished with a career-high 5.1 bWAR and 4.5 fWAR.

While the Padres are looking for a left fielder this offseason, Suzuki is a right fielder. However, adding a right fielder would allow the Padres to move Fernando Tatis Jr. to second base, where he's made it clear he prefers playing.

That would then allow the team to move Jake Cronenworth to first base, or potentially trade him and offload his contract.

Padres Interest in Teruaki Sato

Sato is either a corner infielder or corner outfielder, giving the Padres plenty of flexibility with how they'd use him.

The 27-year-old is coming off a 2026 season with the Hanshin Tigers in which he won the NPB's Triple Crown after hitting .306 with 39 home runs and 106 RBIs.

Sato's defense is a question mark, but it's possible he could fill the void in left field. Offensively, he'd provide a much-needed left-handed power bat to the middle of the lineup.

Padres Interest in Shota Imanaga

As for Imanaga, the 33-year-old has spent the last three seasons with the Cubs after coming over from the NPB. He was an All-Star in 2024, going 15-3 with a 2.91 ERA. Over the last two years, he's gone 20-18 with a 3.75 ERA.

Imanaga is durable, having pitched more than 170 innings in two of his three MLB seasons. For a team desperate for starting pitching, he would be one of the Padres' top starters.

The Padres likely wouldn't feel good starting the 2027 season with Imanaga as their ace. However, if he were the team's No. 3 pitcher, they'd be in a great spot.

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