Cubs could turn back to Japan to find next rotation staple in Kaima Taira

After Matthew Boyd and Clay Holmes both opted out this week, Jed Hoyer is staring at a near-total rebuilding effort when it comes to the Chicago Cubs' starting rotation. There are some holdovers, sure, but few that have top-of-the-rotation potential and many that come with serious concerns, either with expected performance or health.

The Cubs are no strangers to the international arena and have been especially active in Japan over the last decade, signing both Seiya Suzuki and Shota Imanaga to multi-year deals and also having a top-notch relationship with former NPB superstar Yu Darvish from his time with the club. That should at least put them in the conversation when it comes to Japanese right-hander Kaima Taira, who will be posted this winter.

His team, the Seibu Lions, made the announcement this week. He won't officially be posted until that process gets underway in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, it's worth digging in on what he could offer big-league teams in 2027.

Taira comes with an ace-caliber ceiling, something the Cubs desperately need. Last season with the Lions, he returned to starting after a few years working out of the bullpen and immediately put up eye-catching numbers. He racked up 146 innings, pitching to a 1.36 ERA with a 24.8 percent K rate.

Looming MLB lockout could complicate a Cubs' pursuit of Kaima Taira

Once posted, Taira has 45 days to sign with a team. But that math doesn't quite math because baseball is seemingly guaranteed to enter a lockout on Dec. 2, which falls short of that 45-day mark, even if he was posted today. That clock pauses when the lockout hits, so if he hasn't signed prior to then, he'd likely come off the board very quickly once the lockout ends (whenever that may end up being).

As was the case with Imanaga and Suzuki, the Cubs (or any other MLB team that signs Taira) will also have to foot the posting fee, which is determined by the total value of the contract. Hoyer can ill afford to leave any stone unturned this winter, so I suspect we'll see Chicago circling here (and with just about every other arm available both here in the U.S. and overseas).

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