Kodai Senga

Senga has been one of Japan's best pitchers over the last decade, anchoring the staff for a Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks team that won six NPB titles. The Hawks don't allow their players to leave via the posting system, however, so Senga had to wait until his age-30 season to try his luck against the toughest level of competition. The righty has a large repertoire led by a fastball that has touched triple digits and a devastating forkball. Those weapons have helped him to a 2.59 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 28.2 percent strikeout rate over the course of his career. He made the jump at the right time, having posted an even better 1.94 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in his final year in Japan. The Mets landed Senga for $75 million over five years, but he will assuredly use his opt-out clause after the 2025 season if he is healthy and has shown an ability to be effective in MLB. He has room to take a sizable step back from his NPB numbers and still serve as a capable mid-rotation arm at the MLB level, with upside for more, though durability could be a concern. He's eclipsed 150 innings in just one of the last six seasons.

The Japanese 23 year-old fastball/spliter pitcher emerged as a starter for Softbank Hawks in 2016.