Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

According to our own Michael Mayer, the Mets have scouted Kodai Senga and Masataka Yoshida from Nippon Professional Baseball.

Senga is a 29-year-old, right-handed starting pitcher from the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. He has a career 2.42 ERA in 1340 2/3 innings pitched in NPB and is coming off a career year where he recorded a 1.89 ERA in 23 games.

To go along with his stellar numbers, Senga hits the market with electric stuff. He brandishes a fastball that can reach 100 mph, a cutter, a slider, and a forkball that is nicknamed the “ghost fork.” For further analysis of Senga, check out James Villani’s piece on the Japanese star.

Senga’s agent, Joel Wolfe, recently told reporters that Kodai is looking to play for a contender. “He wants to be in a big market. He wants to be on a great team,” Wolfe said.

Yoshida, the other NPB star the Mets scouted, has not officially hit MLB free agency. Due to his lack of service time in NPB, Yoshida must be posted by the Orix Buffaloes. Once posted, he will have 30 days to negotiate and sign with any MLB team.

Yoshida is a 29-year-old corner outfielder who is known for getting on base. He led NPB with a .447 OBP in 2022 and won batting titles consecutively from 2020 to 2021. Yoshida, however, has some pop in his bat as well. Since 2018, he has recorded an OPS of at least .956 and clubbed 111 home runs.

It makes sense that the Mets scouted both NPB stars since they are both potential fits for the 2023 roster. With Jacob deGrom and Brandon Nimmo’s future up in the air, Senga and Yoshida could potentially fill both of their roster spots.

If the Mets decide to pursue either NPB star, they will have to out-bid a plethora of MLB teams. According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, the Rangers, Blue Jays, Mariners, Mets, and Cubs have all been linked to Senga. Out of the previously mentioned teams, the Mariners, Blue Jays, and Cubs intend to have preliminary discussions with Senga’s agent.

While Yoshida’s market is not as hot due to his free agent status, it seems the Mets cross-town rival has been linked to the star left fielder. According to Morosi, the Yankees are one team that could be a potential suitor for Yoshida. The Bombers had Aaron Judge and Andrew Benintendi become free-agents after 2022 and are looking to fill at least one of those roster spots.

The Mets presumably will focus on Senga out of the two NPB stars. He is currently an international free agent and can sign with any MLB team whenever he pleases. Senga is also the better fit for the Mets roster since they have to replace three starting pitchers for the 2023 season.