TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays are in agreement with corner infielder Kazuma Okamoto on a four-year, $60 million free agent deal that gives the defending American League champions an established Japanese star, industry sources told Sportsnet.
Defensively, the 29-year-old Okamoto has spent most of his NPB career playing first base and third base, but he also has 164 games of experience in the outfield. Where exactly he fits on the 2026 Blue Jays will likely depend on what else the team does and where Okamoto seems most comfortable in spring training but as of now a few options exist.
Still, the Blue Jays are signing Okamoto for his bat, rather than his glove. A six-time NPB all-star, the right-handed hitting Okamoto has a lifetime .274/.355/.501 batting line in 11 seasons at Japan's highest level. That includes a 2025 season that saw him hit .327/.416/.598 in 69 games for the Yomiuri Giants, and six other seasons with 30 or more home runs.
Notably, Okamoto walked as often as he struck out last year. It’s a skillset that could translate immediately against MLB pitching with the Steamer projection system at FanGraphs forecasting an above-average 110 wRC+.
Okamoto’s four-year deal includes no opt-outs.
The White Sox recently signed the powerful Munetaka Murakami to a two-year, $34 million deal out of Japan, but teams approached Murakami cautiously because his game includes two significant flaws: defensive limitations. and strikeouts. Conversely, Okamoto’s contact skills are above average and he offers some defensive value as a plus first baseman or passable third baseman and outfielder.
As a result, the floor on Okamoto is likely higher and teams viewed him as a likely bet to contribute immediately to a win-now team like the Blue Jays. Like the left-handed hitting Addison Barger, Okamoto could be asked to move between positions day by day or perhaps even inning by inning depending on the team’s needs.
The scale of the deal is roughly comparable to the recent free agent contracts signed by Tyler O'Neill ($49.5 million over three years), Avisail Garcia ($53 million over four years), Jose Abreu ($58.5 million over three years), Christian Walker ($60 million over three years), Chris Taylor ($60 million over four years), Nick Castellanos ($64 million over four years), Mike Moustakas ($64 million over four years) and Marcell Ozuna ($65 million over four years).
The move reflects the Blue Jays’ continued push in the Pacific Rim as well as their first major position player move of the off-season. Earlier this winter they landed Cody Ponce, who excelled in Korea before signing a three-year, $30 million deal to join Toronto’s rotation.
Combined with the MLB free agent additions of Dylan Cease and Tyler Rogers, as well as Shane Bieber’s decision to opt in, the Blue Jays have had a busy winter. Agent Scott Boras, who represents Okamoto and Cease, spoke highly of the organization at Cease’s introductory press conference.
So far this winter, the Blue Jays have now committed $337 million in future salaries. Of the 15 players to sign for more than $30 million, the Blue Jays have now agreed to deals with four of them.
As the winter has progressed, the Blue Jays have also stayed in touch with the representatives for Bo Bichette, Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman, among others. The Okamoto deal doesn’t necessarily preclude further additions, but the Blue Jays liked their position player core even before adding the 29-year-old, so any further additions might have to be paired with a corresponding subtraction via trade.
Either way, at this point in the winter, the Blue Jays appear positioned to let the market come to them.
