Report: Padres ‘strong favorites’ to land Japanese reliever Kazuhisa Makita

The San Diego Padres may be dipping into the Japanese market to add some relief.

According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports, the Padres are “strong favorites” to sign Japanese submariner Kazuhisa Makita.

Source: San Diego Padres have emerged as strong favorites to sign Japanese submariner Kazuhisa Makita. Confirms report out of Japan that says the 33-year-old Makita is on his way to U.S. for physical: https://t.co/Wfih3xyeFi (h/t @GraveyardBall)

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 5, 2018

The 33-year-old posted a 2.30 ERA last season for the Seibu Lions, though his strikeout numbers were quite low at just 35 in 62.2 innings pitched.

Even as San Diego looks to make more under-the-radar moves such as this one, rumors persist that they’re eyeing a much bigger prize this offseason.