This weekend, the Los Angeles Angels may have to make a difficult choice. Another Japanese player is threatening to rejoin the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) league for the upcoming season, while fans are hoping to see free agent third baseman Kazauma Okamoto join the Angels before Sunday’s deadline.
Similar to Okamoto, Kona Takahashi’s negotiation window ends at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday. Takahashi hasn’t got many suitors this offseason, in contrast to Okamoto. The right-hander has reportedly only had one contract offer since he was listed, according to recent sources.
![Official] Mitsunari Takahashi (Saitama Seibu) | Pacific League | Free videos and individual stats | Player directory | Professional baseball](https://pacificleague.com/img/player/2025/playing_kv/lions/2015053.jpg.webp)
Takahashi is therefore thinking about returning to Japan for the upcoming season. Takahashi has reportedly been offered a multi-year contract by the Seibu Lions, the NPB team he has pitched for his entire professional career, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. The contract is reportedly set to feature an opt-out after 2026. Takahashi would be able to rejoin the free agent market the following winter if such an offer were made.
Angels could consider risky deal for Japanese pitcher Kona Takahashi
Takahashi might be enticed to Anaheim by the Angels’ last-minute contract offer, but there is a lot of danger involved. Takahashi has a strong record in Japan, but it’s unclear what his job would be in the United States. Takahashi was mentioned as a potential fifth starter in an article published earlier this offseason by FanGraphs. If that really is Takahashi’s ceiling, LA ought to decline this chance.
Although the Halos could use a few more players for the upcoming season, it would be pointless to sign the kind of contract required to entice Takahashi to Los Angeles and pay the posting fee. According to MLB regulations, the release fee would be 20% of the overall contract value if the Angels paid more than $25 million to sign Takahashi.
There are several backup starters who will be searching for positions that will cost significantly less on the open market than Takahashi, even though Anaheim may not be the preferred location right now for players hoping to compete for World Series crowns.
Takahashi is much more of a flier and not so much a sure thing, despite the idea’s potential. If Takahashi has another strong season in NPB, the Angels should sit this one out and possibly give it another go next winter.
