Outside of Rafael Devers’ unexpected second-half emergence, the San Francisco Giants didn’t offer lead baseball executive Buster Posey many reasons to smile this past season — though in fairness, most of his likely misery was self-inflicted.

We expect the Giants to be aggressive this offseason, especially after an incredibly disappointing 97-loss campaign. Posey’s latest major move, retaining embattled manager Tony Vitello, won’t exactly earn him much good will in the Bay Area. But plenty is forgiven when you win championships, as Posey and his three World Series rings know firsthand. (Pun only slightly intended.)

San Francisco desperately needs pitching, and their answers might come via Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the Giants have already looked into Kaima Taira and Hiromi Itoh, the latter of whom participated in this past spring’s World Baseball Classic for Team Japan.

The Giants have historically struggled to land Japanese players, including recent failed pursuits of now-Dodgers pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki. Could this be the year that Posey and the Giants’ luck finally changes, or will it be more of the same?

What San Francisco Giants fans must know about pitchers Hiromi Itoh and Kaima Taira

Before going any further, we must reiterate that neither is guaranteed to hit free agency; their respective teams must first post them, which would open a 45-day signing window. The looming work stoppage could complicate things unless a team signs Taira or Itoh before the potential Dec. 2 lockout. 

FanSided’s Robert Murray listed Itoh at No. 23 on his most recent free agency big board, and Taira did not appear on Murray’s rankings. As a result, let’s start with Itoh, who turned 29 in August and has been a mainstay in the Ham Fighters’ rotation since 2021. The 5-foot-9, 180-pound right-hander took a slight step back this year, with his 3.18 ERA marking his worst since 2023. 

More concerning, Itoh also allowed a career-high 16 home runs over 172.2 innings. When you’re sharing an NL West with the likes of Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Fernando Tatis Jr., you understandably have extra incentive to keep the ball in the park — and that’s before remembering he’d possibly need to make at least one start in Colorado. 

Taira, on the other hand, had a stellar season after returning to the rotation. The 5-foot-8, 209-pound right-hander went 12-5 with an incredible 1.36 ERA and allowed only four home runs over 146 innings for the Seibu Lions. He’ll celebrate his 27th birthday in November, and it remains unclear whether teams view him as a starter or reliever.

But even if the pitching-starved Giants view Taira as a starter, we imagine he’d open the year as a middle-of-the-rotation arm rather than the established No. 2 behind Logan Webb.  

Revisiting the San Francisco Giants’ history of signing and acquiring Japanese players

As of October 2026, only two Japanese-born players signed their first MLB contract with the Giants: pitcher Masanori Murakami (1964) and outfielder Kensuke Tanaka (2013). If you’re unfamiliar with either player, we have you covered.

Murakami became the first Asia-born player in MLB history, and his journey to the United States is absurdly incredible. He signed with the Nankai Hawks while in high school and, alongside two other players, was sent to the Giants’ Single-A team in 1964. But where things get especially interesting is the Hawks never called him back to Japan, so he remained Stateside until making his MLB debut that September. 

The Hawks eventually realized they could still bring Murakami home, though the Giants initially refused the order. Only after NPB commissioner Yushi Uchimura got involved did the two sides agree: Murakami would play the 1965 season in San Francisco and then resume his Japanese career.

Tanaka’s tale is far less interesting. He played for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters from 2000 through 2012 and signed a Minor League deal with the Giants ahead of the 2013 season. He opened the year at Triple-A Fresno, earned a promotion in July and recorded a .620 OPS over 34 plate appearances the rest of the year.

San Francisco designated him for assignment that September, and he spent part of 2014 in the Rangers organization. Tanaka returned to Japan in 2015 and played another five years for the Ham Fighters, winning a championship in 2016. 

Outfielders Tsuyoshi Shinjo (2002) and Nori Aoki (2015), along with pitcher Keiichi Yabu (2008), all played for the Giants after beginning their MLB careers elsewhere.