I am on record very firmly as wanting the Chicago Cubs to go hard after Japanese ace Kaima Taira this offseason for a variety of reasons – unique style, relative youth, dominance in Japan, potential upside, connection to Japanese players, and more – so I am happy to see any other pundit out there connecting those dots. These two sides DO very much make sense for a marriage this offseason.
What you and I might be a little less happy about is the rationale Jeff Passan offers at ESPN for linking up the Cubs and Taira as a “perfect” transaction this offseason:
“The perfect transaction: The Cubs need pitching, pitching and more pitching. Whether owner Tom Ricketts will provide the budget to fill those needs is the real question. Because as much sense as Skubal makes for the Cubs, the expectation is they won’t be especially involved. And as much as they need a closer, Bednar and Morejon might find themselves outside of the Cubs’ price range, too. (This is the part where we note the Cubs currently carry a $143 million payroll and have two outfield spots to fill as well.) If payroll constraints limit the Cubs to the best of the midtier starters, one brings the sort of high-octane stuff they are sorely lacking. Sign right-handed starter Kaima Taira.”
The Cubs desperately need pitching and want some high-octane stuff … but they aren’t going to spend at the top of the market, thus they accept more risk in signing Kaima Taira. That framing is not a surprise – we know the Cubs are reportedly already out on Tarik Skubal, much to our frustration – but it’s not like I want to see Taira viewed as a consolation prize, or even less than that.
In the end, I suppose I care much less about the reasons the Cubs might pursue Kaima Taira than the fact that they do, hopefully, do so. Given that the Cubs have done a lot of “homework” on Taira already, hopefully that means the groundwork has already been laid for an aggressive pursuit.
Kaima Taira is so unique. In 2026, pitchers average less than a foot difference between FF extension and release height. (6.5 ft ext. – 5.8 ft release ht.) Taira, standing at 5’8”, gets 6’8” extension with a 4’9” release height. Nearly a 2 foot difference! Also sits 95+ t.co/deXDfuF8oP
— Northside Soundtrack (@CHC_DataDrive) November 11, 2026This pitch is ridiculous. 99mph at the knees from a 4.9’ release height with 6.8’ of extension. 6th inning as well. t.co/iWr6nkHT6V
— Lewis (@LewisFoster_21) November 11, 2026From our previous discussion on Kaima Taira:
Although we won’t know for sure how well Japanese ace Kaima Taira will take to MLB until the rubber meets the road, and although there’s some obvious relief risk given his size and his roles in Japan, I’m still pretty eager to see the Cubs pursue him this offseason now that he’s officially available. There’s obviously substantial upside there given his dominant season in Japan, and there’s obviously substantial value in having Japanese stars on your team.
So, yes, I will admit to getting a little more excited than is probably explicitly justified when I see “Cubs” and “Kaima Taira” in close proximity in Kiley McDaniel’s early free agency write-up at ESPN: “The Red Sox, Nationals and Cubs all covet starters with velocity and big extension, and rivals think they at least have to investigate [Taira].”
It’s thin. It’s very thin. And the Cubs aren’t even alone there. It’s basically three organizations who have a lot of the same pitcher-side DNA at the upper levels of their front offices. However, McDaniel historically doesn’t do a lot of specific team-player mentioning unless there’s a little meat behind it, and there are almost no other team-listed dot-connecting mentions in the piece for other players. Feels like there may have been a slight bit of informed speculating going on, even beyond what “rivals think.”
As for his take on Kaima Taira overall, whom he ranks as the 7th best free agent in the class, McDaniel lays out the pros and cons:
“The sales pitch for Taira is a little tough at first glance: a 5-foot-8 right-handed starter who has eclipsed 60 innings in a season only twice in his career and has never surpassed 150 innings.
From another perspective, Taira has what the sharper pitching organizations seek, with enormous extension, a lower arm slot, short in stature (but with strength), and four-seam ride combining to make a really good fastball shape, which averages 94-97 mph and hits 99-100 mph at times. That’s a potentially dominating pitch, as his command is starter quality.
Taira got more rest between starts in Japan than the normal big league starting schedule allows, so a team could expand to a six-man rotation to accommodate him, or expect him to lose a little velocity on shorter rest, and probably not expect a full 32-start season in his first year.
Managing innings with rest or a variety of roles (maybe the bullpen for the postseason and late regular season?) because Taira was only a reliever in 2025 gives a creative team options, and that uncertainty of role will lower the price a bit.”
A team that is adept at managing innings, rest, and creative roles? Sounds like a Craig Counsell-led staff to me! We also know that the Cubs love outlier traits in their pitchers, and that’s what Taira has in spades.
Projecting a contract for Taira, 27, is tricky. He comes with more questions than some of the biggest names who previously came over, but probably fewer questions than Tatsuya Imai last year (he got three years and $54 million from the Astros with opt outs after each of the first two years). McDaniel speculates something in the five-year, $72.5 million range for Taira (plus another $12+ million for the posting fee), which is on the high end of what I’ve seen from other prognosticators.
For his part, Taira has not expressed any kind of preference on an MLB, although he did mention a desire to win a Cy Young, so you can expect he’d prefer to go somewhere that plans to let him start:
Kaima Taira says he does not have a preferred destination in MLB and is willing to go to any team that needs him. t.co/eiFZx9hgtJ
— Jason Coskrey (@JCoskrey) October 31, 2026Hence then, the article about kaima taira the perfect move for the cubs even though you may not love the rationale was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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