Takahiro Norimoto may not come to majors after all

Takahiro Norimoto was expected to be one of the most heavily pursued pitchers when he became available this offseason. Instead, he may not end up in the majors at all.

At this point, it seems as though there is an intriguing pitching option coming from Nippon Professional Baseball to the major leagues. It was expected that Takahiro Norimoto would be that pitcher this offseason, as his three year deal with the Rakuten Eagles was set to expire. A true free agent, Norimoto could have started a bidding war for his services once the offseason began.

However, Norimoto may not be coming stateside after all. According to reports, he signed a seven year extension with the Eagles earlier this year.

If this extension actually happened, it would be quite the change of heart. Norimoto has openly discussed his dream of playing stateside, and at 29 years old, is still in his prime. As recently as last season, it was reported that Norimoto had requested to be posted, allowing him to pursue that dream.

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It is possible that his own injury woes have led Norimoto to reassess his path. He has dealt with elbow issues during his career in Japan, and is currently rehabbing in the minors after offseason elbow surgery. With the number of Japanese pitchers that have needed Tommy Joh surgery, or other elbow procedures, Norimoto certainly has a reason to pause his desire for the majors.

When healthy, Norimoto has been one of the better pitchers in Japan. He has posted a lifetime 3.46 ERA and a 1.155 WHiP in his 1128.1 innings, striking out 1178 batters with just 287 walks. He has been dominant thus far in his rehab as well, allowing two runs on 11 hits and two walks, while striking out 16 in 15 innings.

While this does not necessarily mean that Norimoto will not be coming stateside eventually, it does put an additional obstacle in the way. It may be that he took the extension for security in the event that his elbow does not heal properly, only to try to push Rakuten to post him in another year or two.

Takahiro Norimoto’s move to the majors may only be delayed. Of course, with this extension, it also may never happen.