Bears sign Japanese pitcher Takada to fill Asian quota

The Doosan Bears announced Friday they have signed Japanese pitcher Takuto Takada as their new Asian quota player. Takada agreed to a $70,000 contract, with an additional $50,000 in a buyout, as a replacement for Ichiro Tamura, who was waived Tuesday. Takada, a 23-year-old left-hander, was drafted by the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in 2021 but he never reached the top-level Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He spent the past two seasons with the Oisix Niigata Albirex Baseball Club, a minor league club with no NPB affiliation. In 10 outings this year, Takada went 4-2 with a 1.75 ERA, tops in the Eastern League, one of the two minor circuits in Japan. The Bears said Takada has a four-pitch mix of four-seam fastball, cutter, splitter and changeup, and can be an immediate asset to their starting rotation. They said Takada will join the team once his paperwork is done.