On May 21, he made his first appearance as a starting pitcher against the New York Yankees, picking up a no decision with 6 scoreless innings.

With the loss of Francisco Rodríguez to injury, Takahashi served as the closer for the Mets and recorded his first major league save on August 16 against the Houston Astros.

[3] On July 28, 2012, Takahashi was optioned to the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees to make room for recently acquired starting pitcher Zack Greinke.

[5] On December 27, 2012 he signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs that included an invitation to spring training.

[7] Takahashi elected to become a free agent following the season after compiling a 6.66 ERA over 25.2 innings pitched with the Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox.