Japanese slugging third baseman Kazuma Okamoto and the Blue Jays are in agreement on a free agent contract, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. The club has not confirmed the news.
Okamoto was the biggest star of Nippon Professional Baseball’s most storied franchise, the Yomiuri Giants — Japan’s version of the Yankees.
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.
In 2025, Okamoto was limited to 69 games due to a left-elbow injury suffered in a collision with a batter running down the line while he was playing first base. But in those 69 games, he hit .327 with a .416 on-base percentage, .598 slugging percentage, 1.014 OPS, 15 home runs and 49 RBIs.
Over 11 seasons in NPB, Okamoto boasted a .277/.361/.521 slash line and .882 OPS, with 248 home runs and 717 RBIs.
Okamoto also starred for the Japanese World Baseball Classic team that won gold in the 2023 tournament. In seven games for Japan, Okamoto had a .333/.556/.722 slash line, 1.278 OPS, two home runs and seven RBIs. One of those home runs came against Kyle Freeland in Japan’s win over the U.S. in the championship game.
Okamoto was one of three Japanese stars to be posted by their NPB club this offseason — along with fellow superstar slugger Munetaka Murakami of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows and ace pitcher Tatsuya Imai of the Saitama Seibu Lions.
“I believe MLB is the best league in the world, and I’ve always wanted to play there,” Okamoto said when the news that he would be posted was first announced in October. “I’ve worked hard with that goal in mind.”
It’s rare for the Giants to post their players, let alone a star in his prime like Okamoto. But they agreed to let Okamoto pursue a career in MLB in 2026.
Okamoto is the second Yomiuri star to come to the Major Leagues in the last two years, after longtime ace Tomoyuki Sugano did so in the 2024-25 offseason. But the then-35-year-old Sugano, who signed with the Orioles, was an international free agent by that point and not subject to the posting system.
The last time a Yomiuri Giants hitter of Okamoto’s caliber jumped to the Major Leagues was when the legendary Hideki Matsui signed with the Yankees ahead of the 2003 season. Okamoto will try to follow in the footsteps of Matsui, who hit 175 home runs over 10 Major League seasons and was a two-time All-Star and the 2009 World Series MVP for New York.
