If the Cubs go shopping in Japan again, Kona Takahashi looks like the kind of move that can sneak under the radar and still make real sense.
Chicago’s been tied to the louder names in this offseason’s NPB class, and for good reason. Teruaki Sato, the reigning MVP and Triple Crown-winning slugger, has drawn plenty of attention.
So has Seibu Lions left-hander Kaima Taira, whose high-90s fastball, ground-ball tendencies and knack for keeping the ball in the park make him look tailor-made for a Cubs rotation that needs help. But there are other arms worth tracking too, including Hiromi Itoh and Hiroto Saiki.
Itoh just won the Sawamura Award after piling up nearly 200 innings with a 2.52 ERA, while Saiki ran ERAs below two every season from 2022 through 2025.
That broader search matters because Jed Hoyer needs more than one answer on the pitching front. With a rotation that could lose several pieces to free agency, the Cubs need a real front-end starter - but they also need to keep casting a wide net. That’s where Takahashi comes in.
The right-hander nearly made the jump last year through the international posting system, but after receiving three offers from MLB clubs, he turned them down and went back to the Seibu Lions. Now, heading into his age-30 season, he’s eligible for full international free agency, and all signs point to him trying again. He’s also coming off a stronger year, and he made some meaningful tweaks along the way.
In 138 1/3 innings in 2026, Takahashi posted a 2.54 ERA and a 3.35 FIP, while setting a career-best strikeout rate of 20.7%. He’s not a classic bat-misser, though.
Over his career, he’s only struck out 17.5% of the hitters he’s faced, a figure that sits below the NPB average. And his stuff doesn’t jump off the page either, with a fastball that lives in the low 90s.
Even so, there’s a reason his profile should register for the Cubs.
This season, Takahashi’s ground-ball rate jumped all the way to 58.5%, which would fit neatly with what Chicago tends to value. For comparison, Clay Holmes was at 60.7% this year, while David Peterson sat at 50.8%.
The change wasn’t accidental, either. Takahashi scrapped his curveball and leaned more heavily on a sinker and slider, playing to his strengths in a way that paid off.
He’s also been excellent at suppressing home runs over the course of his career, which matters for a Cubs team that finished with the second-most homers allowed. That kind of profile could translate well in Chicago, especially in front of an infield featuring three Gold Glove winners. Some scouts think a bullpen move might suit him better, and even in that case, he’d still be worth the call.
Just don’t mistake him for the headliner. Takahashi shouldn’t be the pitching addition the Cubs build around this winter.
But if he’s the third new arm in the mix, he’s the sort of cost-effective bet that can fit the roster without boxing the team out of a bigger swing at the top of the market. Like Peterson before him, he’d be a wager on how his game plays up behind Chicago’s defense - and in a winter where so many rotation spots are open, that’s exactly the kind of name Hoyer should have on the board.
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