The San Diego Padres could be rebuilding their rotation entirely this offseason, and Kaira Taima might make sense.
The San Diego Padres have all kinds of uncertainty in their starting rotation, and much of that will carry over into the offseason. Starter Michael King has an opt out, and new acquisitions Casey Mize and Robbie Ray will both be free agents.
That’s why the Padres are turning up on the early list of teams interested in Japanese left-hander Kaima Taira, who is “expected to be posted in early November,” according to a report from Mark Polishuk of MLBTradeRumors.com that referenced reporting from Jeff Passan of ESPN.
The Padres will have plenty of competition in their pursuit. The list of interested teams at the moment includes the New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, the Padres, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers.
In other words, it’s the usual long list of some of the usual suspects when it comes to the early version of this sort of thing.
It’s the timing of this rumor that makes it especially interesting. The timeline is far earlier than usual for Japanese players, and according to Polishuk a lot of that is about the labor unrest that’s expected in MLB this winter.
Japanese players usually post in mid-November, as the posting starts the clock and gives them 45 days to sign. That means Tairawill sign some time in late October or early November, with the lockout expected to start on December 1 when the current labor agreement expires.
Taira’s bona fides are both interesting and unusual. He’s a starter who looks like reliever with a fireplug body. He had a 1.36 ERA over 132 innings for the Seibu Lions, and he could be the best free agent starter on the market after marquee attraction Tarik Skubal.
Taira is also on the clock to some extent here. He would have nine seasons in the NPB league after the 2027 season, which means he would be a free agent and wouldn’t have to post. That’s why the Lions are posting him early, as they get a significant percentage of Taira’s contract that’s divided into different monetary levels.
He also has just two different seasons as a starter, with those being 2023 and 2026. The Padres have a new ownership group that’s committed to winning and spending, though, so San Diego could look at Taira’s history and decide he makes sense at the top of their rotation.
