The Chicago Cubs have identified 26-year-old Nippon Professional Baseball’s pitcher Kaima Taira as an alternative to Tarik Skubal, who is expected to be a part of a bidding war amongst MLB teams, one the Cubs may as well sit out of. The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma reported that the organization has conducted extensive background work on the Saitama Seibu Lions star ahead of his potential move to the MLB.

Taira turns 27 on Nov. 15 and is coming off a dominant 2026 season with the Lions, posting a league-leading 1.36 ERA, a 24.8% strikeout rate and a 48.5% ground-ball rate across 146 innings in 23 appearances. He finished 12-5, allowed 95 hits, walked 45 and struck out 141, becoming the first pitcher in NPB history to win Relief Pitcher of the Year, lead the league in saves and subsequently lead the league in ERA.

Still, Taira has surpassed 140 innings only twice in eight NPB seasons, reaching 150 innings in 2023 and recording 146 in 2026. He spent 2025 primarily as Seibu's closer, recording a league-leading 31 saves with a 1.71 ERA in 52.2 innings, previously winning the Pacific League Rookie of the Year award in 2020.

Taira has also made clear that he wants to establish himself as a starting pitcher in MLB, with the Japanese right-hander identifying winning a Cy Young Award and pitching in the World Series as career ambitions, per ESPN.

“As a pitcher, my goal is to win a Cy Young award,” he said. “And I'd like to pitch in the World Series as well.”

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Still, Chicago would be interested only if the bidding remains within a reasonable range. The Cubs are reportedly looking to add as many as three starting pitchers this offseason and are likely to view Taira as a high-upside, lower-cost option.