Toronto Blue Jays Interested in Young Japanese Pitching Phenom

The Toronto Blue Jays starting rotation was a constant point of turmoil for the organization this season.

Toronto had more than five starters land on the injured list at various points in the year. Two pitchers who began the season with the organization, Kevin Gausman and Eric Lauer, were traded to the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers, respectively.

Several pitchers featured on the Blue Jays rotation this season, Shane Bieber, Max Scherzer, Jameson Taillon and Patrick Corbin, are set to be unrestricted free agents. Another potential starting pitcher, Jose Berrios, has an opt-out in his deal. Berrios might not command a contract as much as he's being paid with Toronto, but could be looking for a change of scenery after spending all of this year on the injured list and ending last season on the IL after transitioning from the rotation to the bullpen.

With those players set to hit the open market, the Blue Jays only have four starting pitchers set to return to the team in 2027: Jose Soriano, Trey Yesavage, Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce. The latter of the three missed all of this season due to a sprained ACL and subsequent surgery suffered in his first outing of the year.

Toronto will be in the market for starting pitchers this offseason, and are reportedly interested in one of the most intriguing prospects on the market.

Per a report on MLB.com from Michael Clair and Ayako Oikawa, 18-year-old Japanese right-handed pitcher Shoki Oda is set to decline to participate in the 2027 Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) Draft.

Instead, Oda will opt to pursue baseball in the U.S.

The Blue Jays are one of many clubs who scouted Oda when he competed for Japan in the U-18 Asian Baseball Championship this year. Japan finished as runners-up in the tournament, ultimately losing to South Korea 2-0. Other teams that have reportedly scouted Oda include the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets and San Diego Padres, among others.

Oda first got on teams' radar with his performance in the Summer Koshen, considered the most prestigious high school baseball tournament in Japan. His fastball was recorded at highs of 97.6 miles per hour and already has an expansive arsenal which includes a slider, a curveball, a splitter, a changeup and a cutter.

There are multiple routes Oda could pursue in the States when it comes to baseball. He could opt to follow his countryman, Rintaro Sasaki, in playing in the NCAA, which would eventually result in him entering the MLB Draft.

He could also do what another Japanese pitcher, Roki Sasaki, did and sign a minor league deal as an international free agent under the MLB's international free agent period rules.

Oda might be forced into the college route due to the ongoing Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations between the MLB and MLB Players Association. The current CBA expires Dec. 1. One of the proposals from the MLB for a new potential CBA invovles changing the current international signing format to a traditional draft, which would make Oda's future entirely dependent on whoever wants to draft him and where he stands in the class.

It's unclear whether the international period would still take place if the two sides don't agree to a new CBA before the international signing period begins in January. If the 2027 period begins as scheduled and as other signing periods have in the past, it could even the playing field and provide Toronto the best chance to land the talented right-hander.