The New York Mets officially announced on Saturday that they have signed free agent pitcher Kodai Senga to a five-year, $75 million deal.

The contract includes a full no-trade clause and an opt-out clause that will allow Senga to become a free agent after the 2025 campaign. The deal runs through the 2027 season.

In what was a wild offseason, the Mets made bolstering their rotation a major priority and Senga was always the top target after Justin Verlander signed a two-year, $86 million deal. The front office also signed veteran José Quintana to a two-year, $26 million contract.

Senga was arguably one of the most intriguing free agents available on the open market heading into the winter. The 29-year-old spent the last 11 years in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, where he absolutely dominated with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks. He went an impressive 87-44 with a 2.59 ERA and 1.252 strikeouts (10.3 K per 9). Senga also won six Japan Series titles since making his debut in 2012, including four straight championships from 2017-20 in what was a dominant stretch.

“Kodai has a championship pedigree and has excelled on the brightest of stages,” said Mets owner Steve Cohen. “We are very excited to welcome Kodai to our Mets family in Queens.”

Senga drew interest from a number of teams looking for a player with high upside that could become an elite middle-of-the-rotation starter in the majors. The right-hander saw his stock rise after a dominant 2022 in Japan in which he went 11-6 with a .94 ERA in 22 starts with the Hawks. Senga recorded 156 strikeouts, a 1.06 WHIP, and a 0.4 HR/9 rate.

While not yet tested in MLB, Senga’s resume is as impressive as they come. The righty is a three-time NPB All-Star (2013, 2017 and 2019), a two-time Pacific League Best Nine Award winner (2019, 2020), a two-time Mitsui Golden Glove Award Winner (2019, 2020), and he also led the Pacific League in strikeouts twice (227 in 2019 and 149 in 2020). He led the Pacific League in wins with 11 in 2020.

Senga throws a fastball averaging 95-96 that tops out at 100 m.p.h., a cutter, a slider and a forkball, which earned the nickname the “ghost fork(ball) in Japan.” Senga has never pitched in MLB but he has the filthy stuff to be able to compete and, if he can fulfil his potential in Queens, he could prove to be one of the best additions of this offseason due to his high upside.

“Kodai has been on our radar for a number of years,” Mets general manager Billy Eppler said. “Kodai has had exceptional success in his career, including helping lead his team to four consecutive Japan Series titles. We’re thrilled to add someone with his ability to our rotation.”

Senga was a player the Mets chased after hard throughout the offseason, and they believe his raw ability and his success in Japan will translate over to the majors in America. Along with Verlander, Max Scherzer, Quintana and Carlos Carrasco, Senga will now be part of one of the best rotations in all of baseball and he figures to be a big part of what the Mets hope will be a World Series push in 2023.