A.J. Preller’s offseason pitching puzzle already has plenty of moving parts, and the Padres may now have a cheaper way to add arm talent without paying the usual posting fee tax.
Kona Takahashi, a 29-year-old right-hander who put up a 2.54 ERA across 138 1/3 innings in Japan this season, has been listed by MLB as a possible fit for San Diego. There is no reported pursuit from the Padres yet, but the connection makes sense on paper.
Takahashi was posted last winter and stayed in Japan, but his situation has changed. He is now a free agent, and if he chooses MLB, the team that signs him will not owe his Japanese club a posting fee.
For a Padres team with money already committed to its stars and several pitching questions unresolved, that matters. Every dollar in the acquisition cost would go directly to Takahashi’s contract.
The market could move fast. The Rangers and Athletics were also named as possible fits, so San Diego would not be alone if clubs believe the same thing scouts do: there may be real bullpen value here.
Takahashi is not a power arm. He works in the low 90s and altered his mix this year, ditching his curveball and leaning more on a two-seamer and slider. One scout quoted by MLB saw him fitting best as a reliever, with those secondary pitches carrying the most appeal.
That kind of profile lines up with where the Padres may be headed. Adrián Morejón just handled a career-high workload and could draw significant free-agent attention.
Jason Adam can also reach the market. San Diego’s bullpen was a strength in 2026, but it will not just roll back unchanged in 2027.
Even if Takahashi ends up in relief, his background as a starter could still give the Padres something useful. He has the arm history to cover multiple innings, bridge a short start, work through a lineup twice, or take on higher-leverage work if the slider translates.
The numbers also show the limits. He struck out 114 and walked 47 over those 138 1/3 innings, which does not exactly scream dominant late-inning weapon. And with a lower fastball velocity, there is less margin for error.
Preller still has to address the rotation, and Takahashi is not the answer to every issue on the staff. But for a club staring at possible turnover and searching for value, he offers something rare: a potential pitching addition without the posting fee attached.
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