Kaima Taira is set to be posted, and the Blue Jays have been named a potential landing spot. The right-hander could fill a rotation hole in Toronto.

He went 12-5 with a 1.36 ERA last season in Japan. That mark led all qualified pitchers in NPB.

Blue Jays Nation's Cynthia Ryley Delaney made the case. She noted that Taira has posted an ERA below 2.00 in all but two seasons.

Since 2020, she wrote, only Liván Moinelo and Yoshinobu Yamamoto have thrown 500-plus innings in NPB with a better ERA.

There's context, though. Delaney pointed out that NPB is in a dead-ball era, which makes those numbers look even more dominant.

The other questions are about his profile. He's listed at 5-foot-8 and 220 pounds and doesn't have much experience as a starter.

Kaima Taira's bullpen past gives Toronto a safety net

That background is also a selling point. Taira was an elite reliever in Japan before moving to the rotation.

If he struggles as a starter, the Jays could shift him to the bullpen without losing the investment.

He also has international experience. He won a gold medal with Japan at the Tokyo Olympics, though a calf strain forced him off this year's WBC roster.

Does Toronto need another ace? No, and Delaney agreed, framing him as a No. 4 starter rather than a frontline arm.

That's exactly the right way to chase him. Toronto needs multiple starters, and an arm who can start or relieve is the kind of flexible depth an injury-wrecked 2026 staff badly needed.

He's a two-in-one tool. If it doesn't work as a drill, it still works as a screwdriver.

The Japan connection helps. Mark Shapiro said the Jays will send a contingent there this offseason, and Kazuma Okamoto's rookie year proved the club can land NPB talent.

Teruaki Sato may grab the headlines, but Taira could be the quieter move that pays off. If Ross Atkins lands both, the Japan pipeline officially becomes a strategy.