Each offseason, a wave of international players from the KBO and NPB make headlines around Major League Baseball.

These international signees often take the baseball world by storm. Their importance in MLB shouldn’t be understated. They continue to grow the sport’s international appeal and evolve the game as we know it.

The 26-year-old right-hander Kaima Taira of the Saitama Seibu Lions has drawn significant interest from many MLB teams, including the San Diego Padres. He’s set to post to MLB this November.

In his nine-season career, Taira split his time between relief and starting. In the NPB, he’s a career 1.79 ERA pitcher with 578 IP and 603 strikeouts. As a closer, he pitched in 54 games and led the Pacific League with 31 saves and a 1.71 ERA in 2025.

In his 2026 season as a starter, he’s sporting a 1.36 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. He pitched his first career complete-game shutout in March.

Taira’s 5’8”, 220-pound build is certainly unique for a pitcher, but his deep arsenal and strong command certainly make up the difference. He has a seven-pitch arsenal that consists of a high-90s fastball, a two-seamer, a cutter that he considers his best pitch, two sliders, a changeup, and even a curveball for good measure. He formerly threw a splitter as his off-speed weapon, but he exchanged it for a changeup that many consider equally devastating.

According to MLB Insider Jeff Passan, Taira might be the best starting pitcher available this winter outside of Tarik Skubal. If the Padres want to land him, they’ll find themselves amongst strong competition.

This is Kaima Taira. He is 5-foot-8, 220 pounds and throws up to 100 mph. He also might be the best starting pitcher available this winter outside of Tarik Skubal. More on him, Teruaki Sato (the class’ best hitter) and Hiromi Itoh: https://t.co/cOHKPO8tDn pic.twitter.com/yHTSuY7Zc7

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) September 10, 2026

The Padres are no stranger to international signees, especially from the east. Ha-Seong Kim, Yuki Matsui and Sung-Mun Song are all international signees that have ultimately proven fruitful for the Padres roster. Matsui in particular has been marvelous in 2026.

That said, the Padres have been rather unlucky in landing any major talent from Japan. Their strongest and most recent push came in the 2023-24 offseason for flamethrower Roki Sasaki. A battle they lost to division rival the Los Angeles Dodgers. They were similarly in the running for INF Kazuma Okamoto and pitcher Tatsuya Imai this past offseason. However, they failed to land either.

Outside of Taira, INF/OF Teruaki Sato and pitcher Hiromi Itoh are two other appealing Japanese stars hitting the market this offseason. It’s unknown if these players are on the Padres’ radar, but recent history suggests they probably are.

Fabian Garcia