Kodai Senga

Senga's first year in the majors couldn't have gone much better from an individual standpoint, as he made 29 starts and posted a 2.98 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 202:77 K:BB across 166.1 innings. He joined the Mets on a three-year, $45 million contract after spending the first 11 years of his career in Japan, and he ended up being a bright spot on what was mostly a disappointing team in Queens. The 31-year-old struggled with walks -- his 11.1 percent walk rate was third worst among qualified starters -- but he helped offset the free passes with a 29.1 percent strikeout rate, 0.92 HR/9 and 80.3 percent left-on-base rate. A 3.87 xERA and 3.77 xFIP are hardly a surprise given his walks, though it's a right shoulder strain that is of utmost concern for prospective fantasy managers. The Mets shut Senga down in February and he will not pick up a baseball "until symptoms subside and strength returns," per president of baseball operations David Stearns.

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.