Astros Should Eye Risky but High-Upside Move for Japanese Star Pitcher

The Houston Astros could continue their offseason of low-cost, under-the-radar pitching additions by adding this Japanese star hurler.

Houston Astros hat and glove in the dugout | William Purnell-Imagn Images

To date, the Houston Astros' offseason has been defined by a "Moneyball"-like approach to finding overlooked talent - particularly on the pitching front - who could bring value at a lower price than some of the high-cost top free agents.

Houston kicked things off by signing 6'6" fireballer Nate Pearson to a one-year, $1.35 million contract. Then they looked to the KBO by adding 29-year-old journeyman righty Ryan Weiss to a one-year deal with a club option. On the trade front, they surrendered prospects Jacob Melton and Anderson Brito to land promising 26-year-old hurler Mike Burrows from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Interestingly, the Astros may not be done. In the likely event that Framber Valdez proves to be too rich for the cost-conscious club's liking, Houston may need to find further pitching depth to further stabilize a rotation with little certainty beyond ace Hunter Brown.

Japanese star Kona Takahashi could be exactly what Astros GM Dana Brown is looking for.

Kona Takahashi

Could Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown look to Japan for the club's next starting pitcher? | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

Takahashi was posted for MLB free agency by the NPB's Seibu Lions back in November, but the 28-year-old remains unsigned with a deadline of January 4 at 5:00pm ET looming to get a deal done with an MLB team.

Across 11 career pro season, all spent in Japan, Takahashi has recorded an 73-77 record with a 3.39 ERA. The right-hander is known for his crafty ability to confuse batters by mixing up pitches, often inducing soft contact. In 2025, he went 8-9 with a 3.04 ERA in 148 innings for the Lions.

So why isn't Takahashi in line for a substantial payday? MLB executives are likely uneasy about his struggles to miss bats in Japan and how that might translate to North America.

Those 11 seasons have produced just 6.5 strikeouts per nine innings and a WHIP of 1.296. Although Takahashi has still managed to get hitters out in NPB, executives may be a little gun-shy over whether that will still be the case in MLB.

For the Astros, however, this could represent an acceptable level of risk in order to add pitching depth at an affordable cost. In fact, all of the pitchers they've added carry some risk, from Pearson's inconsistent and sometimes wild track record to Weiss' lack of MLB experience to Burrows' minimal pedigree.

In a similar vein to the Chicago White Sox signing of slugger Munetaka Murakami prior to his posting deadline, there could be some mutual urgency between Takahashi and Houston.

Takahashi is closing in on his deadline to sign with a major league team, while the Astros are still looking to contend and address their pitching depth amidst a tight budget.

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