The Padres may be staring at a rotation reset this winter, and that’s exactly why Kaima Taira has popped onto their radar.
San Diego has real uncertainty baked into the group right now. Michael King has an opt out, while Casey Mize and Robbie Ray, both recent additions, are headed for free agency. So it makes sense that the Padres are showing up early in the sweepstakes for the Japanese left-hander, who is “expected to be posted in early November,” according to a report from Mark Polishuk of MLBTradeRumors.com that referenced reporting from Jeff Passan of ESPN.
The competition is already piling up. Along with the Padres, the current list of interested teams includes the New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers.
That’s a familiar cast for this kind of rumor, but the timing is what gives it extra weight. Polishuk noted that Taira is coming up earlier than most Japanese players do, and that the accelerated schedule is tied to the labor unrest expected in MLB this winter.
Normally, Japanese players post in mid-November. Once that happens, the 45-day signing window opens, which would push Taira’s deal toward late October or early November. The wrinkle here is the lockout expected to begin on December 1, when the current labor agreement expires.
Taira’s profile is a little unusual, too. He’s a starter who looks like a reliever with a fireplug body, and he just put together a dominant season for the Seibu Lions, posting a 1.36 ERA over 132 innings. On talent alone, he could be the best free-agent starter available after marquee attraction Tarik Skubal.
There’s also a deadline element in play. Taira would reach nine seasons in NPB after the 2027 season, which would make him a free agent and eliminate the need to post him. That’s part of why the Lions are moving now, since they’ll receive a significant percentage of Taira’s contract, broken into different monetary levels.
He has only two seasons as a starter, in 2023 and 2026, but the Padres have a new ownership group committed to winning and spending. That gives San Diego a real chance to look at Taira’s track record and see him as a fit at the top of the rotation.
In Other News...
Mason Miller Scare Leaves Padres Facing A Late-Season Bullpen Concern
Mason Miller gave the Padres a brief scare Tuesday night when a 101-mph ground ball smacked into his right calf during the game against the Rockies, a moment that looked far more ominous than the end result. He stayed in the game, finished a scoreless inning and picked up his 37th save, while keeping his usual velocity intact and later saying he did not have any significant concern about the injury.
Still, even a scare that passes quickly can linger for a club trying to hold its position with 12 games left in the regular season. San Diegos bullpen has been a key part of its push in the National League wild-card race, and any late-season issue involving Miller would be worth watching closely, especially with every out carrying more weight from here on out. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Just Made A Deep Farm System Cut Fans Will Notice
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Jose Blanco, Aneury Sosa, Gensy Aquino, Daniel Burciaga, Dioscaride Sarit, Luis Morales and Raudi Perez were among the arms moved out, leaving Hernandez as the only infielder in the batch. It is the kind of deep-farm adjustment that usually says as much about the organizations evaluation of its lower-level inventory as it does about any one player, and it leaves a few open questions about how San Diego wants to reshape that part of the system going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Keep Winning But This Streak Still Comes With A Warning
The Padres kept the momentum rolling at Coors Field on Friday night, edging the Rockies 8-7 for their eighth straight win. Fernando Tatis Jr. provided one of the big swings with a 465-foot two-run homer, and San Diegos lineup kept pressure on Colorado all night with 13 hits to back up another close, tense finish.
Casey Mize earned the win after five innings, and Mason Miller closed it out for the save, but the one-run margin also served as a reminder that even a hot stretch can still feel a little uneasy. San Diego has found ways to keep winning, yet this latest victory carried the kind of late-game stress that shows how thin the line can be when the margin for error disappears. [Read more 🡒]