Last Year’s Save Leader Now a Starter With a 1.36 ERA… Seibu Approves Daira Gaima’s Posting
Seibu accepted Daira Gaima’s request for an MLB posting on the 30th. On the 31st, Daira had expected to file the application on November 1, but no signing contract has been reached yet.
Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.
0.91. 2026 Pacific League ERA leader Daira Gaima (1.36) and runner-up Sumida Chihiro (2.27) are separated by this gap. The gap among 2nd through 5th place, four pitchers, is 0.44 (2.27–2.71), so the 1st–2nd gap is more than double that. Both 1st and 2nd place are from Seibu. The 1st-place pitcher’s path to the U.S. opened within two days.
2026 Pacific League ERA Final Standings (Based on End of All Games)
| Rank | Pitcher | Team | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daira Gaima | Seibu | 1.36 |
| 2 | Sumida Chihiro | Seibu | 2.27 |
| 3 | Kitayama Koki | Nippon-Ham | 2.56 |
| 4 | Otsu Ryosuke | SoftBank | 2.68 |
| 5 | Anderson Espinosa | Orix | 2.71 |
Daira Posting Approved October 30; Expected Application Date November 1
On October 30, according to Seibu’s official announcement, the club said it would accept Daira’s request to take on the MLB challenge and begin the process. As reported by Nikkan Sports, Daira had no overseas free agency rights, so posting (a system that lets a player negotiate with MLB clubs with the team’s permission) was necessary. Head of operations Hiroike Koji explained that since Daira had produced results across several roles, it was now the team’s turn to respond.
On the same day, Daira said in the team’s announcement, “I feel that I have finally taken a step toward that place.” On the 31st, in front of reporters, Daira expressed a wish to go wherever a team needs Daira, with no specific team in mind, as reported by Full-Count. Daira wanted to secure a longer negotiation period and had expected the application to be filed on November 1, but no completed filing has been announced.
Daira’s Career ERA 1.78; Roles Changed for Four Consecutive Years
Daira was drafted by Seibu with the 4th pick in the 2017 draft and debuted in the first team on July 19, 2019. The following year, Daira won the Rookie of the Year award, and in 2021 set an NPB record with 39 consecutive scoreless games. Since 2023, Daira’s role has changed every year. The table below shows what the “several roles” Hiroike mentioned looked like.
Daira Gaima Yearly Roles and Titles
| Year | Role | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Relief | Best Relief Pitcher |
| 2023 | Starter | - |
| 2024 | Relief | - |
| 2025 | Closer | Most Saves |
| 2026 | Starter | Best ERA |
2026 regular-season record: 23 games, 146 innings, 12 wins and 5 losses, with a 1.36 ERA. Winning all three titles is an NPB first. Pa League.com Career totals per the records: 325 games, 37 wins, 24 losses, 62 saves, and 111 holds. Nikkan Sports’ article on the 31st listed the career ERA as 1.36, but the official record is 1.78.
Daira’s Salary 300 Million Yen; MLB Contract Projections Differ by 5x
Born on November 15, 1999, Daira is currently 26 years old. The 2026 season salary, estimated by Nikkan Sports, is 300 million yen, which is 100 million yen more than the 200 million yen Japanese media estimated for the 2025 season, and it is not an amount officially disclosed by the team. Seibu’s most recent posting case, Imai Tatsuya, went through posting in November 2025 and signed with Houston on January 2, 2026. According to MLB.com sources, the deal was 3 years and $54 million, or $18 million per year (54 million ÷ 3).
Daira’s U.S. contract remains a projection only. Sports Hochi cited American baseball forecasts of $30 million over three years, while Ilgan Sports, quoting a Tokyo Sports projection, reported a total of up to $150 million. The high end is five times the low end. Hochi’s projected annual average of $10 million is 56% of Imai’s. In career NPB ERA, Imai has a 3.15 and Daira has a 1.78.
No MLB contract amount or transfer compensation Seibu would receive has been confirmed. Japanese local reports said the MLB labor agreement issue could delay negotiations. As of 11:00 on October 31, 2026, no signing contract has been reached. Speaking to reporters that day, Daira said only briefly: “I’m just happy. From now on, I want to work hard.”
Related Official Sites
- NPB Official Pacific League ERA Records — You can check the 2026 final league standings directly
- NPB Daira Gaima Official Profile and Yearly Stats — You can review appearances and stats by season
- Pa League.com Official Player Stats — You can check career saves and holds records
- MLB Official Website — You can check news on U.S. team transfers
Representative image · Archive photo · Not an on-site photo of the current game in the article · Photo composite · Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Mizusanta), CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo: Wikimedia Commons (TSUBAME98), CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Esupanii), CC BY-SA 4.0
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