Kaima Taira Gets MLB Posting Approval After 1.36-ERA Season

The Saitama Seibu Lions have approved Kaima Taira’s request to pursue Major League Baseball through the posting system, opening a possible move after the right-hander finished the 2026 season with a 1.36 ERA.

Seibu general manager Koji Hiroike disclosed the decision Friday, according to Sports Hochi’s report carried by Pacific League.com. Approval permits the process to proceed; Taira has not signed with an MLB club.

Taira, 26, went 12–5 in 23 starts and led Nippon Professional Baseball in ERA. His return to the rotation followed a 2025 season in which he saved 31 games and recorded a 1.71 ERA as Seibu’s closer.

That experience gives interested clubs bodies of work to evaluate. His 2026 starting assignments produced a 0.96 WHIP, while his previous bullpen success establishes a record of handling shorter appearances. He struck out 141 batters and walked 46 over 146 regular-season innings.

Once Taira is formally posted, MLB teams receive a 45-day negotiating window. If he does not reach an agreement before that window expires, he returns to Seibu and cannot be posted again until the following offseason.

The signing club would also owe Seibu a release fee tied to the value of Taira’s contract. His age and professional experience allow him to negotiate outside the international amateur bonus restrictions.

SNY reported that the Yankees have scouted Taira. Scouting establishes an evaluation, rather than a contract offer or an agreement about which role he would fill.

Taira turns 27 on November 15. Seibu selected him in the fourth round of the 2017 draft, and he reached the first team in 2019. He won 11 games after converting to starting in 2023 before later returning to relief.

His next step is the formal posting that starts negotiations. Until that occurs, the club’s approval and his destination remain separate developments.