Kona Takahashi

Analysis
Takahashi might not come with the hype that surrounds fellow Japanese starters Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shota Imanaga, but the 26-year-old righty would likely generate some interest if made available for MLB teams to sign this winter. He produced ERAs between 3.69 and 4.51 across his first seven NPB seasons but has finished with ERAs of 2.20 and 2.21 in the last two campaigns. He's much more about contact management than missing bats, however, striking out just 17.6 percent of opposing batters for his career and a marginally better 18.6 percent the last two years. How MLB teams view him is a question which probably won't be answered until next year, with the Lions expected to hold onto him for one more season.