A pair of Japanese pitchers will be posted to Major League Baseball, their NPB clubs announced over the weekend.
The Seibu Lions announced on Saturday they plan to post Japanese pitcher Kaima Taira. On Sunday, the Nippon-Ham Fighters announced they will post ace right-hander Hiromi Itoh.
Players from NPB can be posted any time from November 1 to December 5, and once posted they have 45 days to sign. But expect any Japanese players to be posted on the early end this offseason, with a lockout coming
on December 1 at 8:59 p.m. PT.
Players at least 25 years old with at least six years of professional experience in a foreign league can be signed as a major league free agent, rather than be subject to international amateur signing bonus limits like Roki Sasaki was before the 2025 season.
Taira turns 27 years old on November 15 and has pitched nine seasons for Seibu, mostly in relief but some starting. He had a 1.36 ERA with 141 strikeouts and 45 walks in 146 innings in his 23 games in 2026, after a 1.71 ERA and 31 games in 52 2/3 innings in 2025.
From Associated Press:
“As a pitcher, my goal is to win a Cy Young award,” the Japanese news agency Kyodo quoted him as saying. “And I’d like to pitch in the World Series as well.”
In his nine seasons with Seibu, the right-hander has a 1.85 ERA with 676 strikeouts and 252 walks in 633 2/3 innings over 351 games.
Itoh had a 3.18 ERA in 26 games last year for the Fighters, with 159 strikeouts and 34 walks in 172 2/3 innings. The 29-year-old right-hander in six years in NPB had a 2.91 ERA with 914 strikeouts and 247 walks in 1008 2/3 innings.
Michael Clair at MLB.com talked to a Pacific Rim scout about Itoh, Taira, and two other Japanese players expected to be posted to MLB this offseason. On Itoh:
“He could be an up and down starter,” our scout said, “but maybe in relief he might show some more velocity. In the previous WBC, he came out of the bullpen and he was 94-96 with some nasty stuff.” However, what Itoh lacks in size, he makes up for with a deep pitch mix consisting of “10+ unique grips and shapes” as noted by Yakyu Cosmopolitan.
Should he come to the Majors next year, there is one thing Itoh would like to share: “I would like the fans in the U.S. and everywhere else to know that I am not just pitching, but that I enjoy myself on the mound,” Itoh told me this spring. “I like to express my excitement and joy.”
Three Japanese players were posted last offseason. First baseman Munetaka Murakami signed with the Chicago White Sox for two years, $34 million. Third baseman Kazuma Okamoto signed for four years, $60 million with the Toronto Blue Jays. Pitcher Tatsua Imai signed with the Houston Astros for three years, $54 million.
