Tarik Skubal is the best of the bunch, but what the 2026-27 off-season free agency class has an abundance of is back end of the rotation starters. A couple of them, namely Kaima Taira and Hiromi Itoh, are likely to be posted early in the off-season. We’ve already looked at Taira as a fit for the Blue Jays, but what about Itoh? Well, let’s take a look at his previous seasons and how he would fit the team’s rotation. Hiromi Itoh’s profile
Like Taira, Itoh has spent his entire professional career playing in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. He’s spent six seasons in NPB, all of which have come with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. Over 154 games, the 29-year-old has a 2.92 ERA in 1,000.2 innings of work.
The righty’s 2026 season was actually one of the worst of his NPB career, finishing with a 3.23 ERA and 2.81. Only his 2023 when he posted a 3.46 ERA and 2.81 FIP was worse. This past season, Itoh finished with a 21.8 K% and 4.7 BB%, still solid, but not what he can do at his best.
Itoh was entering 2026 coming off a career-best season. Over 27 starts in 2025, the 5’9” pitcher finished the season with a 2.52 ERA and 2.27 FIP in 196.2 innings of work, career-best totals in all-three categories. Itoh’s 2025 season also saw him finish with a career-best strikeout (24.5 K%) and walk rate (3.6 BB%), winning NPB’s best pitcher award.
Additionally, Itoh represented Team Japan at both the 2023 and 2026 World Baseball Classics. After throwing two and one-third scoreless innings in 2023, the righty allowed five earned runs (two home runs) in four innings as Japan fell to Venezuela in the quarterfinals.
Like Taira, Itoh has a deep repertoire, with his best pitch being a forkball according to Twitter user Yaku Cosmopolitan (@yakyucosmo). The fastball sits in the low 90s, relying on command and control to get his outs.
It’s also worth noting that of the international players projected to be posted this coming off-season, Itoh was the only player seen as a fit for the Blue Jays according to this MLB.com article. The Blue Jays have turned to the Pacific Rim lately, and they’ll likely have interest in a handful of posted players yet again. Itoh instantly slots in as the team’s #4, behind Trey Yesavage but ahead of Cody Ponce.
