MLB teams were notified on Thursday that two more Japanese stars are headed stateside.
Infielder Kazuma Okamoto of the Yomiuri Giants and right-handed pitcher Kona Takahashi of the Saitama Seibu Lions have both been posted for MLB free agency by their respective Nippon Professional Baseball clubs.
Both players will be able to negotiate with big league teams beginning on Friday at 8 a.m. ET. Their 45-day negotiating window will close on Jan. 4 at 5 p.m. ET. If either player is still unsigned after that point, that player will return to his NPB team.
Okamoto, 29, has 248 home runs through 1,074 games with Yomiuri, including six consecutive 30-homer campaigns between 2018-23. Although an elbow injury limited the six-time NPB All-Star to just 69 games this past season, he still bashed 15 homers and had an impressive .327/.416/.598 slash line. Okamoto, one of the top free agents in this year’s class according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, can play first and third base, although he has more experience at the hot corner.
Takahashi, who turns 29 on Feb. 3, was outstanding for the Lions from 2022-23 as he posted a 2.20 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP across 330 2/3 combined innings. However, he took a step back the following year (3.54 ERA, 1.36) while throwing just 114 1/3 frames. He turned in a 3.04 ERA over 148 innings in 2025.
Takahashi relies on his command since he doesn’t miss many bats. He struck out only 88 batters this season, giving him a 14.3% strikeout rate. The MLB-average K rate this year was 22.2%
