Why Three Japanese Stars Could Dominate MLB Free Agency Talks

While there is no star of Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s caliber in this incoming class of Japanese standouts, there is a group of NPB players coming to MLB in 2027 who should help clubs immediately. 

For the next month, prepare to hear a lot more about the headliners of that trio: Teruaki Sato, Kaima Taira and Hiromi Itoh. All three are widely considered among the top 50 free-agent players available, and Sato might even be the best bat on the market in a weak free-agent class. 

Plus, there is urgency to sign these players. 

All three were posted at the start of November. While NPB players typically have a 45-day window to negotiate with MLB teams, that time period will likely be shortened with the current collective bargaining agreement ending on the night of Dec. 1. That means you should expect to see decisions on Sato, Taira and Itoh before the end of November. 

Here’s more on each of those players: 

The slugging success of Munetaka Murakami — who hit 35 homers in his first season with the Chicago White Sox this year — could have a positive impact in the free-agent market for Sato, whose prodigious power comes similarly with swing-and-miss concerns. 

The 27-year-old Sato hit 40 home runs and won Central League MVP honors in 2025, then followed that up by launching 39 homers and winning the Triple Crown in 2026. You might remember him from the Dodgers’ exhibition game before the 2025 season, when he homered left-on-left against Blake Snell at the Tokyo Dome. Or maybe in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, where he hit three doubles in 10 at-bats. 

Sato’s power potential will draw obvious comparisons to Murakami, though there are differences between the two sluggers. Sato is more aggressive at the plate than Murakami, chasing more and walking significantly less. Sato’s 11.1% walk rate last season was a career high; Murakami, meanwhile, posted a walk rate above 14% in each of his last five NPB seasons. 

Sato, however, has better bat-to-ball skills. He hit .275 in 2024 and .277 in 2025 before posting career-best slash-line marks across the board in 2026 (.306/.383/.609). His strikeout rate wasn’t quite as high as Murakami’s in NPB though is still a concern (Sato had a strikeout rate above 25% each of the last four seasons; the MLB average this year was 22.1%). Murakami, who had a 28.6% strikeout rate in his last NPB season, ran a 35.4% strikeout rate with the White Sox this year — the second-highest mark among all qualified MLB hitters. 

Like with Murakami, there are also questions about whether Sato will have to bump from third base to first base or possibly a corner outfield spot. But while his swing-and-miss issues and defensive questions present risks, the upside is obvious with the top international slugger on the market who will be 28 next season and should entice teams in a free-agent field lacking impact offensive talent. 

There aren’t many comparisons to Taira, a 5-foot-8-inch right-hander who is built like a fire hydrant yet might be one of the top arms on the market. Taira, who turns 27 later this month, gets surprising extension off the mound for his size and is armed with a four-seam fastball that averaged 95.8 mph this year and reaches up to the high-90s in velocity. 

He has eight different pitches in his vast arsenal, including a slider and a splitter that both registered strikeout rates over 40%. And though his overall strikeout rate (24.8%) this season didn’t jump off the page, he led all qualified NPB starters in both ERA (1.36) and batting average against (.184) over 146 innings in 2026. 

Will he end up a starter or a reliever? That’s to be determined, though if he wants to start, it’s probably safe to assume that the team he signs with will give him that opportunity. Taira was a reliever in NPB for five years, transitioned to starting in 2023, moved back to the bullpen for two seasons (and recorded 31 saves for the Seibu Lions in 2025) before thriving as a starter again in 2026. Over eight NPB seasons, he had a 1.78 ERA with 620 strikeouts in 592 innings. 

Wherever he goes, and whatever role he serves in, Taira will be one of the most fascinating pitchers to watch and one of baseball’s biggest wild cards in 2027.

Itoh is also a diminutive right-hander (5-foot-9) with a deep repertoire, though he has a more extensive history of success as a starting pitcher than Taira. Itoh, who will be entering his age-29 season, has thrown at least 150 innings in each of the last five seasons and won the Sawamura Award — the NPB equivalent of the Cy Young — in 2025 after leading the league in innings pitched (196 ⅔) and strikeouts (195) while registering a 2.52 ERA. 

The 2026 season represented a step back. Overall, Itoh went 10-10 with a 3.18 ERA and 159 strikeouts in 172 ⅔ innings. His average fastball velocity was down a tick (92.4 mph), his strikeout rate (21.8%) dipped nearly 3% from the year prior, and he had a career-high .266 batting average against. (A career-high .324 batting average on balls in play didn’t help his cause). 

But he posted one of the lowest walk rates in NPB (4.7%), and his terrific command, vast repertoire and ability to eat up innings could make him a valuable piece at the back end of a big-league rotation. It’s also possible his stuff could play up as a reliever, as it did during the 2023 WBC.