Insider Breaks Down 5 Top Contenders For Kodai Senga

Several teams around the major leagues are "intensely scouting" Japanese pitching star Kodai Senga. MLB Insider Jon Morosi says at least five teams that he's hearing are showing this kind of interest in the free agent hurler:

• Los Angeles Angels
• Los Angeles Dodgers
• Texas Rangers
• Seattle Mariners
• Toronto Blue Jays

My Kodai Senga update today on @MLBNetwork. 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/Y8sDWirRzL

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 14, 2022

"He'd be, at the very least, a No. 2 or No. 3 starter" for any of those teams, says Morosi, "maybe better" for others. "He has a tremendous repertoire, and with the dynamics of this free agent market: He is not attached to a qualifying offer, so there's no draft pick compensation there."

In addition, the fact that he's a full international free agent with no posting fee means he'll come a lot cheaper than Japanese imports of the past, and teams won't lose a draft pick for signing him. It all makes him extremely attractive. 

Senga has spent 11 seasons pitching in the Nippon Professional Baseball league, compiling a 2.59 ERA with 10.3 K/9, he's a two-time strikeout champ, and a 5-time Japan Series champ. 

Other teams that have been said to be high on the list of suitors include the San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs (both with Yu Darvish connections, whom Senga is a protege of), as well as the Boston Red Sox.

With that many teams involved, the bidding could get interesting.