The offseason is now in full swing, and teams are making big moves via trades and free agency. On the domestic side, there’s already been a ton of movement. Brandon Nimmo and Marcus Semien swapped teams. Ryan Helsley is the new closer in Baltimore, and the big fish in the starting pitching market, Dylan Cease, joined the American League champions.
In comparison, the international market has been dormant, but it won’t remain that way for long. Three of the top available free agents played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) last season and are poised to be high-level MLB contributors next season. Outside of the top tier, there’s a healthy crop of productive players who could find themselves on big league rosters in 2025. There’s no guarantee that every player on this list will be signed, but the names listed here have already gained some traction in the market this offseason.
Here are ten international free agents who could be fantasy contributors in 2026.
NPB Pitch Data: Link
Featured image courtesy of: Aaron Polcare
The Top Tier
These players will receive significant multi-year contracts and be thrust into a significant role with their new team on day one. These players should be locks for the first round of FYPDs.
Munetaka Murakami – 1B/3B
TLDR: One of the most polarizing international prospects in memory. Really high whiff rates, but he has legitimate 35+ home run power if he can make enough contact. Clear #1 pick in FYPDs.
Ever since arriving on the scene during the 2023 World Baseball Classic (1 HR, .826 OPS in seven games), baseball fans have been waiting for Munetaka Murakami to make the switch to MLB. After eight stellar years in Japan, a career in which he played over 1,000 games and mashed 265 home runs (.945 OPS), the 25-year-old is poised to be the next NPB star to join the major leagues.
There’s no question about what his best asset is. Murakami’s power has been his calling card throughout his career, and will likely continue to be so Stateside. He missed the first half of 2025 with injuries, but returned with 24 home runs in 69 games (52 HR pace in 150 games). Murakami led the NPB in wRC+ (211), wOBA (.462), and OPS (1.043) once he rejoined the lineup. Even with some regression as a result of MLB’s skill level, he should still sit comfortably in the 30-35 homer range, with the potential to get closer to the 40s once he settles in.
The rest of his offensive profile is limited by the swing-and-miss concerns, though. Murakami walks a ton (14.3%, 2nd in NPB), but he also strikes out a lot (28.6%, 6th worst in NPB). Murakami’s 63.9% contact rate would be below MLB standards, and there’s room for it to regress further against MLB pitching. Murakami’s 17.3 SwStr% is a testament to the whiff issues already present in his game. There are very real concerns that Murakami could turn into a three-true-outcomes type of player if he can’t adjust his profile to make more contact.
That might be slightly harsh, and good coaching could set Murakami up for success once he signs. However, the swing-and-miss concerns should give fantasy managers a reason to be wary. Even so, Murakami’s power ceiling and immediate fantasy impact make him a slam dunk pick at the top of your FYPDs this offseason.
Tatsuya Imai – RHP
TLDR: The best international free agent pitcher on the market in 2026. Electric fastball with great breaking stuff. Will be a top-two arm on most teams in the League.
Despite not making many headlines throughout the 2025 regular season, Imai has been catapulted into being a household name among baseball fans after it was announced that he was being posted. He made headlines almost immediately due to his comments against the reigning champion Dodgers, stating, “I want to take them down”. Whether or not he’ll defeat or join the dark side remains a mystery, but the talent that Imai possesses is undeniable.
Imai led NPB with a 27.8% strikeout rate and 0.89 WHIP, and was among the top five in most pitching categories. It’s easy to see why. Imai’s fastball is electric, sitting at 95-96 with good arm-side run. He also shows a tight slider (10.6 xPV) that dominates hitters (45.9% whiff) and a changeup (3.6 xPV) with solid depth and horizontal separation (41% whiff). The rest of his arsenal is less dominant, but his splitter (44% whiff) showed promise in limited showings (4.4% usage).
At 27 years old, teams should feel comfortable giving Imai a multi-year contract, but the perceived value of that contract remains a debate. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel estimated Imai would receive $22.5 million for six years. Given the measuring stick set by Cease’s contract, that seems like a reasonable projection. That’s a lot of money to hand out to a player with no MLB track record, but Imai has legitimate front-of-the-rotation upside, which several contending teams need.
Simply put: If Imai is available in your FYPD, and you have a rotation spot open, don’t hesitate to grab a potential All-Star.
Kazuma Okamoto – 1B
TLDR: Getting overlooked because of the Murakami discourse, but he’s a safer option. Doesn’t have the same ceiling, but 277 home runs and a career .856 OPS in 11 NPB seasons is far from bad.
Since being posted on November 20th, several teams have already been reported to have an interest in the 29-year-old Okamoto. A glance at his 2025 stat line makes it clear to see why. Okamoto mashed 15 home runs in 69 games, posting a 1.014 OPS with a 210 wRC+. Those numbers put him in Murakami territory, although he’s received a fraction of the hype that his 2023 World Baseball Classic teammate has received.
Murakami may have elite power compared to the above-average tool that Okamoto possesses. However, the latter’s all-around offensive profile looks to be much safer than the former’s. The 29-year-old (literally) walked as often as he struck out (33 of each) and has a contact rate (80.4%) nearly 20 points higher than Murakami’s. That’s a solid profile to build on, even if he’s older than his countryman. He does that while not sacrificing a massive amount of power (68 HR’s in the last two full NPB seasons).
The Blue Jays, Red Sox, and (surprisingly enough) the Pirates are among the teams rumored to be in on Okamoto. However, more teams will take an interest in his services once some of the other top sluggers on the market decide on their next home. Even if he’s not considered in the Pete Alonso/Kyle Schwarber level of offensive talent, Okamoto is far from a bad consolation prize.
ESPN projects Okamoto to receive an annual salary of around $12 million. That’s a bargain for a player of his talent. Depending on the team he signs for (in terms of R/RBI production), Okamoto is a first-round talent for contending teams in FYPDs.
MLB Contributors
These names won’t match the production of the players in the first tier, but they should get an MLB opportunity in 2025 and could be a surprise bargain. They have their risks, but could be mid-round value adds in FYPDs.
Anthony Kay – LHP
The former first-round pick (#31 to the Mets in 2016) could be eyeing a return to Major League Baseball after two dominant years in NPB. Kay’s career in the Show was unremarkable, but he did carve out 44 appearances with three organizations between 2019-2023. In those years, he never posted an ERA below 5.14, and opted to join the Yokohama Bay Stars for the 2024 season. Since signing, he’s revitalized his career. In 2025, Kay posted a 1.74 ERA in 24 starts with a 21.5% strikeout rate.
In the Majors in 2023, Kay was primarily a fastball/slider reliever. His time in Japan has allowed him to expand on that arsenal, which he says now stands at five pitches. He also said that the two-seam fastball (5.2 xPV) he built overseas was the key to his NPB-leading 55.8% ground ball rate. There’s no guarantee that the pitch(es) will retain their effectiveness once he returns to the Majors, but it heightens his ceiling. Kay’s NPB track record and his new repertoire could lead a team to try him out as a starter next year. At 31, Kay has plenty of time to re-establish himself as an MLB starter, and should be treated like a high-floor, immediate impact SP4/5 in drafts this offseason.
Foster Griffin – LHP
The last time the former #28 overall pick played in the majors, he posted an 8.53 ERA in six games in 2022. Three years later, he’s dominating the NPB. Griffin has a 1.78 FIP and 1.62 ERA in 14 appearances in 2025, striking out 87 hitters in 89 innings. A 6’3″ lefty, Griffin doesn’t have elite velocity (~90 mph on his four-seamer), but he’s able to use his robust, five-pitch arsenal to get outs.
Griffin’s low-80s slider was his best offering last year, generating a 39.1% whiff rate and 17.4 SwStr%. His 82-83 changeup got good results too, albeit in a smaller sample size. Griffin forced whiffs on 50% of swings on his offspeed, with a SwStr% over 26% last year. The lack of velocity is a concern, but Griffin excelled at keeping the ball in the ballpark (1.6% HR/FB) and was solid at getting ground balls (49.5%). Griffin lacks the upside of some other options in this tier, but he’ll serve as a back-end starter for a team looking for cheap starting pitching.
Cody Ponce – RHP
After two unremarkable (and one downright terrible) seasons in the NPB, Cody Ponce took home the KBO’s Most Valuable Player award in 2025. He bounced back from a 6.72 ERA in 2024, posting a 1.89 ERA in 29 starts in Korea, striking out 252 (!!!) batters in 180.2 innings. At 6’6″ with a fastball that runs into the upper 90s, Ponce has the size and velocity to get another shot at the majors. He also sits in the low-90s with his slider and has a lethal changeup with good speed separation and vertical drop. There’s no guarantee that these pitches will retain their effectiveness against big league hitters, but there’s middle-of-the-rotation upside.
The KBO and the MLB are two vastly different leagues in terms of competitiveness and talent. There’s a chance that Ponce could regress back to his 2020-2021 form once he gets back to the States. However, he’s had half a decade to change his game and rebuild his confidence. Ponce’s repertoire is refined compared to what it was in 2021, and he’s added 3-4 miles an hour of velocity. Ponce will get a chance to earn a rotation spot, and could fall into a bullpen role if he struggles. Expect Ponce to get a 1-2 year deal with a fringe contender or rebuilding team. If he succeeds, he’s a trade deadline piece. If he doesn’t, it’s a low-risk addition that didn’t pan out.
Sung-Mun Song – INF
The 29-year-old left-handed hitter could be considered “Murakami-lite”. Song is two inches shorter and 30 pounds lighter, but the two players have similar traits. Song set career highs in home runs (26), runs (103), and wRC+ (151) in 2025, continuing the momentum that he built up the season prior (.927 OPS, 143 wRC+). It’s a far cry from the production he was putting up before that, but teams will be intrigued by the power output at his price point. There isn’t a ton of information about what that price point will be. One report suggested Song would receive a deal in the $5 million AAV range.
For a player with the potential to hit 15-20 home runs, that’s a bargain. However, he carries swing-and-miss issues too. Fangraphs stated that there are concerns “that his swing won’t play against pitches away from him.” On paper, a 14.9% strikeout rate and a contact rate north of 80% doesn’t indicate a glaring issue. However, when watching his swing, it’s clear to see how outside pitches could limit his power. There’s also the issue of where he’ll play. Song primarily played third in 2025, but he could be better suited at second, where he had a .992 fielding percentage in 25 games.
He’s not held in as high regard as Okamoto and Murakami, and likely won’t match their production, but Song has the potential to be a bargain at $5 million per year if he can adjust his swing path.
Fringe Big Leaguers
There’s a significant risk attached to each name here. These pitchers will likely end up in the bullpen in a low-leverage role. Considering their age, track record, and projected role, these are players to avoid in FYPDs.
Hiroto Saiki – RHP
Let me be clear. In a vacuum, Saiki’s talent puts him firmly in between the A and B tiers of this article. He dominated in NPB this year, posting a ridiculous 1.55 ERA (2nd in NPB) and 1.06 WHIP. The strikeout rate (19.2%) and contact rate (79.7%) aren’t ideal, but he’s shown he can pitch against the best. Against the Dodgers in March, he struck out seven and allowed just one hit in five innings. The only reason he’s not higher is that there’s little reason to believe he’ll be posted. The Giants are reportedly interested, but his parent club, Hanshin Tigers, doesn’t tend to post stars. If he’s posted, Saiki is a mid-rotation arm, which will be valuable early in FYPDs. However, the lack of clarity around his status lowers his value for now.
Kona Takahashi -RHP
Takahashi was in my first draft of this article before the 2025 offseason, but he was not posted, and instead returned to Japan. He was good in his 30 starts for the Seibu Lions (3.04 ERA), but didn’t miss bats effectively (5.4 K/9). Takahashi’s 1.23 WHIP in 2025 and 1.30 career mark indicate that he struggles to keep hitters off the basepaths, both via walk (3.3 BB/9) and base hit (82.4% contact rate). That profile poses major red flags for MLB teams to address, and they will likely opt for more established big league options before the 28-year-old. At best, Takahashi could latch on as a back-end/depth starter for a team in need of pitching, but he’ll likely end up in the bullpen if he comes to the majors at all.
Drew Anderson – RHP
After being drafted in the 21st round in 2012, Anderson spent five years in the majors, although he wasn’t effective (6.50 ERA in 19 games, two starts). Since moving overseas, he’s completely reinvented himself. Anderson dominated the KBO in 2025, striking out 245 hitters in 171 innings (35.3 K%) while cutting his walk rate by 3%. His stuff found another level in 2024, as his SwStr% jumped from 9.3% in 2023 to 15% in 2025. The transition from the KBO to the majors, even if the player has prior big league experience, is tricky. There hasn’t been much buzz about Anderson’s plans for 2026, but that production should warrant at least a phone call. Even if Anderson does come back stateside, other names in the free agent class are safer locks for production.
Kohei Arihara – RHP
At 33 years old, Arihara’s chances of a return to the major leagues hinge on the outcome of this offseason. He was solid as a starter for the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks as a starter in 2025 (3.04 ERA), but he doesn’t possess strikeout stuff (6.6 K/9 in 9 NPB seasons). His production is also similar to the level it was in 2021 (3.46 ERA) before his first attempt at an MLB career with the Rangers. His time in Texas was not kind to him (7.57 ERA, 1.73 WHIP in 15 appearances), and he hasn’t made the strides that some other names have. If he comes back to the States, he will be resigned to a swingman/bullpen role at best, although I’d guess he returns to Japan for 2026.
