We’re currently at an odd point in the MLB offseason where the rumor mill is swirling but little action has taken place thus far. With the MLB GM Meetings taking place in Las Vegas this week, executives from all 30 teams received an opportunity to meet with other clubs and free agents in person. With the lockout less than three weeks away, the action is expected to begin soon. For the White Sox, who have identified starting pitching as their biggest offseason priority, the due diligence will likely stretch far. One name that’s come up in speculation in recent months is Japanese righty Kaima Taira, and it seems there may be some substance to those rumors.
Both Cubs and White Sox have strong interest in Japanese RHP Kaima Taira . Power pitcher ( age 27) with 95-100 MPH and 3.5-1 K to BB ratio. WHIP of 0.95 in 2026. Posting fee/ Scott Boras client. Both teams said they will meet with Boras here in Vegas.
— Bruce Levine (@MLBBruceLevine) November 11, 2026
Taira, 27, has had an interesting career track pitching in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. He entered the league at 18, joining the Seibu Lions and excelling in a bullpen role starting in 2018. After four years of dominance in a relief role, Taira got a shot to start in 2023, posting a 2.40 ERA over 150 innings. Despite his success, he moved back to a bullpen role in 2024 and 2025 and once again performed well. Seibu gave Taira another crack at the rotation in 2026, and he was even more dominant, posting a sparkling 1.36 ERA in 146 innings.
Kaima Taira is a unique talent with a unique profile
Taira features a diverse eight-pitch mix, including a fastball, changeup, sweeper, slider, splitter, two-seamer, and curveball. His fastball regularly sits in the upper-90s and he’s even touched triple-digits on occasion. All of this is made extra interesting by the fact that he’s just 5-foot-8 and 220 pounds. In a write-up about Taira, ESPN’s Jeff Passan said there is no current starting pitcher in baseball with a similar frame, and it makes some teams afraid he won’t stick as a starter in the big leagues.
The White Sox reported interest in Taira is not new. Executives David Keller and Gene Watson made a trip to Japan back in August, and Taira was among the players they scouted. His fit incredibly intriguing for me. The talent is clear, and he has perhaps the highest ceiling of any starting pitcher not named Tarik Skubal, but he comes with substantial risk. A team in a position like the White Sox, who desperately need dependable pitching behind breakout starter Sean Burke, may not be in position to need to rely on Taira and converted reliever Grant Taylor to provide reliable innings. At the same time, if it works, it could give the White Sox a frontline starting pitcher for a more reasonable price than some of the other options. Maybe adding Taira alongside a more proven veteran starter like Sonny Gray could be the optimal approach.
Two years ago, White Sox fans never would’ve thought Chicago could be serious players in the Japanese free-agent market, but the team’s shocking deal for Munetaka Murakami last offseason changed the calculus completely. Murakami and the White Sox have been in extension talks with the hopes of getting a deal done this offseason, and having him around for the foreseeable future could give them an even bigger boost in recruiting players from Japan.
One thing has become abundantly clear to me during the early stages of the offseason: the White Sox are casting a wide net in their search for starting pitching upgrades, and I believe they’ll make multiple meaningful upgrades to the staff. And for the second straight year, one of them may come from Japan.
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