January 3, 2026

Okamoto Joins Jays

Kazuma Okamoto agreed to a deal with the Blue Jays, according to MLB.com. He gets a four-year, $60 million contract and a $5 million signing bonus:

The 29-year-old, right-handed-slugging corner infielder was a six-time All-Star in Japan and a three-time home run king, leading NPB’s Central League in homers in 2020, ’21 and ’23. Beginning with his breakout season as a 22-year-old in 2018, Okamoto posted six consecutive 30-homer seasons for the Giants, capped by a career-high 41 home runs in 2023.

Defensively, he can play either third base or first base, having won Golden Glove Awards in Japan at both positions — two at third and one at first.

MLB.com

I doubt he will play much first base, although we may see Okamoto there if Vladimir Guerrero Jr. needs a day off.

Okamoto looks like a good solid hitter. He does well getting on base, especially in his last few seasons in his prime. He walks a good deal and doesn’t strike out much, the latter unusual for a slugger. I suspect he’ll be a .350 OBP/.450 slugger in the US, which will still make his contract worth it, especially if he plays third base well. Toronto third basemen hit .256/.319/.409 in 2025, so this signing is likely to be a nice improvement.

1 thought on “Okamoto Joins Jays

  1. Mitch

    If he hits 350/450 with top notch 3B defense, he will be worth his $65 million contract in about a season and a half. That’s what Maikel Garcia did for the Royals this year, which rated as 5.6 fWAR / 5.8 bWAR and got him into the top 15 of MVP voting.

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