The Texas Rangers are among the teams keeping close tabs on Japanese left-hander Kaima Taira, a pitcher who could be headed to MLB after the Seibu Lions are expected to post him in early November, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Japanese outlets Sanspo and the Yakyu Cosmopolitan recently included Texas in a long list of clubs scouting Taira’s latest outings. The Mets, Yankees, Blue Jays, Padres, White Sox, Cubs, Angels and Mariners were also mentioned as interested teams.
The timing matters. NPB clubs usually post players around the middle of November, but the looming lockout set to begin on Dec. 1 appears to be pushing the Lions to move sooner than normal.
Once Taira is posted, he’ll have 45 days to reach a deal with an MLB team. If he doesn’t, he returns to Seibu for the next NPB season.
For Texas, the fit is easy to see. The current projection for next year’s rotation includes Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, MacKenzie Gore, Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker.
But pitching depth never stays neat for long, and the Rangers have already seen this season how quickly injuries can change the picture. Adding another arm of Taira’s caliber would give them more protection, and if everyone stays healthy, one starter could wind up in the bullpen or at Triple-A Round Rock.
Taira, 26, has put together a dominant run in Japan. Over eight NPB seasons with Seibu, he owns a 1.79 ERA and 603 strikeouts in 578 innings. This year has been even better: a 1.36 ERA across 132 innings.
He’s also bringing serious velocity. Taira’s fastball averages 95.6 mph and has reached 100 mph, and it’s part of an eight-pitch mix. He has spent most of his career as a reliever, though he recently moved into a full-time starting role.
That kind of profile won’t come cheap. Passan noted that Taira could be the second-best pitcher on the market behind Skubal, and he won’t turn 27 until November. That makes him one of the more appealing names likely to be available.
The contract market could get especially interesting because of the lockout timeline. Teams with money to spend may want to move aggressively before the league’s cap structure arrives, while clubs operating with tighter budgets could see him as a player worth pursuing in case they need to meet a floor.
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