Why Kona Takahashi Reportedly Won't Sign Contract In MLB Free Agency After Posting

Japanese right-hander Kona Takahashi will not be joining MLB in 2026 despite being posted for clubs in November, MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reported Saturday.

Takahashi will instead return to Nippon Professional Baseball on a multi-year deal with the Saitama Seibu Lions, per Feinsand.

The contract includes opt-outs that could allow Takahashi to enter MLB unrestricted free agency next offseason, Feinsand reported.

According to Feinsand, Takahashi received three offers from MLB clubs this offseason.

The news of Takahashi's return to NPB comes the day after his longtime teammate, right-hander Tatsuya Imai, signed a three-year deal with the Houston Astros.

Imai's contract included $54 million in guaranteed money as well as opt-outs after every year on the deal, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman and ESPN's Jesse Rogers.

Feinsand reported that Imai "had longer-term deals with lower AAVs on the table, per source, though he chose to go to Houston on the shorter-term, higher-AAV deal with opt outs."

That contract could allow Imai to potentially decide to test free agency next winter if he posts a strong debut MLB season with the Astros.

Takahashi could be looking to similarly increase his future free agency value with a strong 2026 season in Japan.

The right-hander posted a 3.04 ERA through 24 starts and 148 innings last season, an improvement from the 3.87 ERA he recorded through 15 starts and 81.1 innings in 2024.

He also sparked some concerns, however, by recording a career-low 14.3 strikeout rate in 2025.

Takahashi has yet to return to the standard he set in 2022 and 2023, however, during which he posted a sub-2.21 ERA and strikeout rate of at least 18 percent in consecutive seasons.

A strong 2026 season could increase Takahashi's free agency value, as could testing the market as a free agent rather than an NPB posting. MLB clubs who sign players posted by the Japanese league have to pay a fee based on the size of their contract.