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Blue Jays: Examining international free agents likely to be posted this off-season
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Photo credit: © Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Cynthia Ryley Delaney
Sep 28, 2026, 07:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 27, 2026, 16:08 EDT
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It’s hard to argue against Kazuma Okamoto being the Toronto Blue Jays’ best position player in 2026.
Signed in the 2025-26 off-season, the Blue Jays have upped their pursuit of players born in the Pacific Rim the last few seasons. On top of Okamoto, Yusei Kikuchi was a member of their rotation for three years, though he wasn’t an international free agent at the time. This doesn’t even mention recent IFA signings like Kwon Si-woo and Seojun Moon.
Of course, who could forget the Blue Jays’ pursuit of Shohei Ohtani (also not an international free agent at the time) in the 2023-24 off-season and Rōki Sasaki in the 2024-25 off-season? To put it simply, the Jays have looked overseas and players born overseas for roster improvements since the start of the 2020s, really starting with Hyun Jin Ryu’s signing during the 2019-20 off-season.
The big question is, will they do the same this coming off-season? Well, as it stands, there are three players who are expected to be posted this season, pitchers Kaima Taira and Hiromi Itoh, and third baseman/outfielder Teruaki Satō.
Of the three, Satō is not only the most high-profile, but also the best fit for the Blue Jays. This season with the Hanshin Tigers, the 27-year-old slashed .315/.392/.620 with 37 home runs in 584 plate appearances, good for a 201 wRC+. He hit three home runs fewer than the 2025 season (his breakout year), but his BB% increased from 9.5 percent to 11.3 percent, while his strikeout rate dropped from 27.3 percent to 26.7 percent.
For context Okamoto slashed .327/.416/.598 with 15 home runs in 293 plate appearances in his final season in Nippon Professional Baseball. In his last full season back in 2024, he hit 27 home runs in 611 plate appearances and slashed .280/.362/.501.
The fit for the left-handed batter is clear. Okamoto has proven he’ll be the Blue Jays’ third baseman moving forward, but the Blue Jays’ outfield has far more question marks. They may have a whole bunch of left-handed hitting outfielders, but none have the power that Satō does.
Satō is expected to be posted in early November, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. After he’s posted, there’s a 45-day window to be signed, which may be an issue if Major League Baseball enters its lockout on December 1st.
The lone player the Jays have been linked to, at least that I can find, is Taira. According to Sanspo’s Kentaro Tsukazawa, the Blue Jays are one of several teams that have scouted the 26-year-old right-handed pitcher.
Last season with NPB’s Saitama Seibu Lions, Taira posted a 1.36 ERA and 2.34 FIP in 139 innings of work, with a 24.7 K% and 8.1 BB%. Taira started 21 of the 22 games he appeared in, which was just the second time in his eight professional seasons that he served as a starter.
Fangraphs gave his fastball a 70 grade, noting it sits in the mid-90s and touched a tick below 100 mph. He also has an above-average splitter, an average cutter, and fringe slider, with mediocre command.
Rotation help is less than a need for the Blue Jays, but Taira profiles as a back-end of the rotation starter, as does Itoh. Last season with the Nippon Ham Fighters, the 29-year-old posted a 3.23 ERA and 2.81 FIP in 172.2 innings of work, making 26 appearances and starting all of them.
Durability and command is the name of the game for Itoh, with the Blue Jays specifically targeting the former. His fastball sits in the mid-90s with a whole bunch of secondary pitches, similar to Chris Bassitt.
These are just three players who are reportedly set to be posted this off-season, with the potential that more players could join them. Signing a posted player worked out well for the Blue Jays last off-season, as Okamoto had a great rookie campaign, so perhaps they do it again this off-season.
Cynthia Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, DFOEdmonton, and DFOCalgary. She can be followed on Twitter @CynthiaRDelaney.
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