NPB Stars Who Could Make an MLB Impact in 2026

Shohei Ohtani. Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Roki Sasaki. This isn’t just a list of Dodgers players, but recent marquee Japanese players who came over after playing in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Before these players, there was never a real overseas class of players from Japan who might be posted during the offseason, until now. Munetaka Murakami, Tatsuya Imai and Kazuma Okamoto headline a group of NPB stars who all might have the chance to sign with a MLB team this offseason

Of course, the most recent free agent from Japan the Mets splurged on was Kodai Senga in 2022. Other NPB superstars to make their way over to the states in recent years and find success in the big leagues are Chicago’s Seiya Suzuki and Shota Imanaga, Boston’s Masataka Yoshida and San Diego’s Yuki Matsui.

Let’s take a glimpse into these players and see if they have any merit in the Mets’ free agency plans.

Munetaka Murakami, 3B/1B

2025 NPB Stats: 56 G, .273/.379/.663 (1.042 OPS), 51 H, 22 HR, 47 RBI, 7 2B, 64 SO, 32 BB
NPB Career Stats: 892 G, .270/.394/.557 (.951 OPS), 843 H, 246 HR, 647 RBI, 146 2B, 977 SO, 614 BB

Murakami, the most well-known name on the list, missed half of the 2025 NPB season with an oblique injury but still posted insane numbers in just 56 games. Per MLB’s Mark Feinsand, Murakami will be posted this winter, making him available to all 30 MLB teams in free agency. The 25-year-old power hitter bats from the left and throws right-handed, and has played 75% of his NPB career at third base. The other time was at first base, with some time seen in the outfield. He is a three-time winner of the NPB’s MVP Award, the youngest Triple Crown winner at age 22, a four-time NPB All-Star, Central League Japanese Rookie of the Year and three-time Best Nine Award recipient (Japan’s annual award for the best player at each position).

Looking at Murakami at face value, there’s a lot to love, but some to fear. He possesses raw power, and his performance in the 2023 World Baseball Classic proved he can hang with the best out there at the MLB level. However, his strikeout and walk numbers are somewhat of a concern. While power hitters don’t have the most attractive numbers there, Murakami’s strikeout percentage has rapidly increased (20.9-22.3% between 2020-2022) and 28.1-29.5% in the past three seasons. His walks have also dipped, seeing an OBP ranging in the 400’s to the 300’s the past couple of years. In 2024, he led the league in both walk percentage (17.2%) and strikeout percentage (29.5%).

All that said, Murakami is an attractive free agent for the Mets, especially if Pete Alonso departs. While he can play first base, third base has been a revolving door between defense blunders and hot-and-cold bats. To find stability at the position and then offset other players to bolster other positions on the roster could benefit the Mets.

Kazuma Okamoto, 1B/3B/OF

2025 NPB Stats: 69 G, .327/.416/.598 (1.014 OPS), 82 H, 15 HR, 49 RBI, 21 2B, 33 SO, 33 BB
NPB Career Stats: 1,074 G, .277/.361/.521 (.882 OPS), 1,089 H, 248 HR, 717 RBI, 212 2B, 796 SO, 481 BB

While Murakami might be seen as the marquee free agent, don’t let Okamoto slip under the cracks. The 29-year-old is a six-time NPB All-Star, three-time Central League Home Run Leader, two-time Central League RBI Leader and three-time Mitsui Gold Glove winner (2024, 1B; 2021 & 2022, 3B). Like Murakami, he missed a chunk of the 2025 season, injuring his elbow in a collision at first base. However, like Murakami once more, Okamoto would have led the NPB with a 210 wRC+ had they qualified.

Since 2023, Okamoto has posted the second-best wRC+ (173), OPS (.929), ISO (.264) and wOBA (.416) in NPB among qualified players. In addition, the right-hander is third in doubles (89), second in home runs (83), third in RBIs (225), sixth in walks (171) and ninth in BA (.289) in that time span.

Like Murakami, Okamoto has seen more time at third and first (more first in the past couple of years), and some sporadic time in the outfield. He’s more adept in the field than Murakami, even though he’s four years older. The Mets might covet Okamoto for his defensive versatility and plate discipline, and might even make him a more attractive offer than Murakami. If the Mets were to sign Okamoto, they could use their resources elsewhere to shape up the roster, as Okamoto likely won’t covet a contract like Murakami.

Tatsuya Imai gets out of the bases loaded pinch with back-to-back Ks ????

pic.twitter.com/m8ttGRZCkH

— Yakyu Cosmopolitan (@yakyucosmo) September 18, 2025

Tatsuya Imai, RHP

2025 NPB Stats: 24 G, 10-5, 163.2 IP, 1.92 ERA, 101 H, 6 HR, 45 BB, 178 SO, 0.892 WHIP, 5 CG, 3 SHO
NPB Career Stats: 159 G, 58-45, 963.2 IP, 3.15 ERA, 753 H, 75 HR, 468 BB, 907 SO, 1.267 WHIP, 14 CG, 7 SHO

Pitchers have dominated the Japanese free agent market the past few years, and Tatsuya Imai is the latest to join the crowd. The 27-year-old right-hander is a two-time NPB All-Star and pitched in a combined no-hitter in 2025 as part of the Saitama Sea Lions. However, his shining moment came when he struck out 17 batters in April of 2025.

Imai led the NPB in strikeout percentage (27.8%), batting average against (.172), WHIP (0.892) in 2025, and was second-best in BABIP (.236) and FIP 2.01. He is known for his power fastball-slider combination, but also throws a splitter, curveball and changeup. He debuted a new pitch, his sinker, in late September 2025. His fastball maxes out at around 97-99 mph and averages in the mid-90s, while his slider sits in the mid-80s. His fastball velocity ranked in the 100th percentile in the NPB, while his chase percentage and swing percentage landed in the top percentile as well. he struggled with walks, landing in just the 29th percentile (7.0%), a decrease from the middle of his career when his walk percentage was around 16%.

The Mets need pitching. Unlike position players who have acclimated well to playing in MLB, pitchers have either struggled or succeeded right away. Kodai Senga had his ups and downs to begin his career in his rookie year, while Roki Sasaki struggled as well in his first year as a starter. It might be too much of a risk for the Mets to take a risk on a pitcher with too many question marks at the moment.

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