The Blue Jays’ push into Japan could be just getting started.
Toronto’s pursuit of Kazuma Okamoto may have opened the door to a bigger offseason plan, with president and CEO Mark Shapiro saying the club will send a contingent to Japan this winter and that he may join the trip himself as the organization looks to grow its footprint on both the baseball and business sides, according to MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson.
That matters because three of Nippon Professional Baseball’s most intriguing names - Teruaki Sato, Kaima Taira and Hiromi Itoh - are expected to be posted for major-league teams. For a Blue Jays team searching for more thump in the lineup and help for an injury-hit pitching staff, the fit is obvious.
All three would help. One stands out above the rest.
Teruaki Sato is the most obvious answer to Toronto’s biggest problem
If the Blue Jays are looking for impact power, Sato is the cleanest match.
The 27-year-old left-handed hitter put together a monster year for the Hanshin Tigers, hitting .315 with a .392 on-base percentage, .620 slugging percentage, 37 home runs and 100 RBIs. He’s also coming off a 40-homer MVP season in 2025, which only strengthens the case.
There is a defensive wrinkle, of course. Sato has mainly played third base, and that spot is already occupied by Okamoto. He also struck out 156 times in 136 games, which is a real concern even if Okamoto’s first big league season came with 183 strikeouts in 156 games.
Still, Sato has played right field as well, and Toronto should be thinking about upgrading there anyway. Atkins said the Blue Jays did not hit enough home runs, draw enough walks or reach base often enough. Sato’s power, along with an improved walk rate, could help address all of that at once.
Kaima Taira brings the most upside on the mound
Taira might be the most electric arm of the group.
The 26-year-old right-hander posted a 1.36 ERA over 132 innings for the Saitama Seibu Lions in 2026 and struck out 23.8% of the batters he faced. That kind of production is going to draw attention, and it already has: more than 15 major-league clubs reportedly sent evaluators to watch him, including the Blue Jays.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan has also suggested Taira could be seen as the second-best free-agent pitcher available behind Tarik Skubal. What makes him especially attractive is the range of ways he could be used. He can miss bats and could fit in either a rotation or bullpen role.
Hiromi Itoh may be the steadiest fit
Itoh is probably the safest bet of the trio.
The 29-year-old right-hander has thrown more than 170 innings in each of the past three seasons. In 2025, he won the Sawamura Award, NPB’s Cy Young equivalent, after putting up a 2.52 ERA with 195 strikeouts and just 29 walks over 196.2 innings. He followed that with 172.2 innings in 2026, finishing with 159 strikeouts and 34 walks.
That kind of workload would be a welcome sight for a Blue Jays team that used a franchise-record 40 pitchers this season. Toronto’s bullpen also logged 686.2 innings, the third-most in the league.
Itoh leans on his fastball, but he also mixes in a splitter and sweeper, and he handles all three well. The reason he lands third here has less to do with his ability and more to do with Toronto’s greater need for offense.
The clock could force action
The posting process, along with a potential Dec. 1 lockout, could make this a fast-moving market. Posting windows last 45 days, which could push both NPB clubs and MLB teams to act quickly before things freeze.
However it plays out, Toronto should be in the mix on all three players. After the way the Okamoto pursuit went, the Blue Jays look more and more like a legitimate destination for talent coming out of Japan.
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