The White Sox are interested in Japanese right-handed pitcher Hiromi Itoh, according to baseball reporter Francys Romero.
Itoh is 29 years old, is listed at 5’9 ” and 180 lbs, and is originally from Kayabe, Japan. Most recently, in 2026, he pitched for the Nippon-Ham Fighters in the NPB, posting a 10-10 record, a 3.18 ERA, and 159 strikeouts over 172.2 innings.
Itoh’s Player Profile In Japan
In terms of Itoh’s player profile, he has pitched in the NPB for the Nippon-Ham Fighters since 2021. He also pitched in the 2023 World Baseball Classic for Team Japan, throwing 2.1 scoreless innings and recording three strikeouts. In six NPB seasons from 2021-26, Itoh has compiled a 2.92 ERA with over 1,000 innings pitched, 902 strikeouts, and a 1.169 WHIP.
Cody Stavenhagen, Patrick Mooney, and Will Sammon of The Athletic published an article a few days ago, on November 12th, discussing how these Japanese players are viewed in terms of their player profiles and scouting reports/analysis.
Regarding Itoh, The Athletic article states that Itoh is seen as a “back-end starter with high ceiling who could overachieve or underachieve,” Stavenhagen, Mooney, and Sammon said. The Athletic article also adds that Itoh has “garnered interest from several big-league clubs”, and that Itoh is an “innings eater who has more innings logged in the last three NPB seasons than any other pitcher,” stated Stavenhagen, Mooney, and Sammon.
The Athletic article likens him to Yu Darvish in terms of his pitch arsenal and pitching profile. They also add that interest in Itoh largely stems from the fact that teams already view him as a good pitcher, with the upside of potentially being much better than he currently is, Stavenhagen, Mooney, and Sammon say in The Athletic article.
The White Sox are one of several teams in the market for starting pitching this offseason. Francys Romero also reported that the White Sox have shown interest in another Japanese starting pitcher, right-hander Kaima Taira, and that, in The Athletic article with Stavenhagen, Mooney, and Sammon, scouts rated Taira higher in terms of upside.
White Sox Need Starting Pitching This Offseason
The Chicago White Sox made the postseason in 2026, winning the AL Wild Card against the Houston Astros in a two-game sweep but then losing in five games to the Cleveland Guardians in Cleveland after originally going up 2-0 in the best-of-five game series. Despite this, the White Sox’s glaring weakness was pitching, especially starting pitching.
The White Sox ranked in the middle of the pack, 15th in all of baseball in 2026 in terms of team ERA (4.12), per MLB.com. Just five days ago, the team announced it was moving 24-year-old right-hander Grant Taylor to the starting rotation in 2027 after an impressive 2026, when he posted a 2.25 ERA with 106 strikeouts in 84 innings, reported by Scott Merkin of MLB.com.
White Sox GM Chris Getz told Scott Merkin of MLB.com, “He can be a top-of-the-rotation type of arm,” Getz said. The White Sox 2026 starting rotation saw some success stories in Davis Martin in the first half of the 2026 season and right-handed pitcher Sean Burke. They also have left-hander Anthony Kay at the back end of the rotation and traded for an experienced right-hander in Luis Castillo, but the team still lacks depth and a frontline starter.
White Sox Interested In Japanese Pitcher Hiromi Itoh: Romero