TORONTO -- The Blue Jays signed Japanese third-baseman Kazuma Okamoto to a four-year contract, continuing Toronto’s aggressive offseason as it reloads for another run at the World Series.
The deal is worth $60 million with a $5 million signing bonus, and it does not include opt-outs.
One of the top Japanese free agents available this offseason, along with Tatsuya Imai and Munetaka Murakami, the 29-year-old Okamoto has long starred for the Yomiuri Giants and brings an immediate offensive upgrade to the Blue Jays’ lineup.
This move comes after the Blue Jays blew the offseason open in November by signing Dylan Cease to a seven-year, $210 million deal. They later added starter Cody Ponce (three years, $30 million) and reliever Tyler Rogers (three years, $37 million), and don’t forget the surprising decision by Shane Bieber in the early days of this offseason to opt in for 2026 instead of hitting free agency. An already spectacular offseason by Toronto has reached a new level.
Okamoto represents a major splash in the Japanese market, which the Blue Jays have craved for years now. While their pursuit of Shohei Ohtani two years ago drew headlines around the game and around the world, they’ve consistently grown their presence in the Asian market, working to make inroads for a moment like this one.
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.
He also starred for Japan at the last World Baseball Classic, so you’ll likely have another chance to see him on that big stage this spring. In the 2023 WBC, Okamoto posted a .333/.556/.722 slash line with a 1.278 OPS, two home runs and seven RBIs, including a blast off Kyle Freeland in the championship game.
For nearly a decade now, Okamoto has been a consistent force in the middle of Yomiuri’s lineup, stringing together six consecutive seasons of 30-plus home runs with a peak of 41 in 2023. That power will be a welcome addition to the Blue Jays’ lineup, but Okamoto’s ability to make contact rounds out a very “Blue Jays” profile. This lineup developed an identity of hitters who could wear down pitchers, work the count and land the odd uppercut along the way, which Okamoto seems to fit well.
The last time a Yomiuri 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.
The next question, of course, is how this impacts the Blue Jays’ pursuit of “the big three” in Bo Bichette, Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman.
Given that Okamoto profiles best as a third baseman for the Blue Jays, this seems to lessen the appeal of Bregman to Toronto while also bumping Addison Barger to more time in right field and Ernie Clement to more time at second. That could change if the Blue Jays can find a way to reunite with Bichette, of course, but the market for these big names has developed slowly as clubs wait out the process and wait on the potential of one or more players involved taking a shorter-term deal.
Tucker is still as clean a fit as ever, though, as an outfielder. The Blue Jays have long been considered one of the likeliest teams to land Tucker, and for good reason given the obvious fit and their ability to spend. The loss of Bichette’s bat from the lineup is significant, and while potential rebound candidates like Anthony Santander could help to some extent, there’s still room for another upgrade and the Blue Jays -- fresh off that World Series heartbreak and with as much financial flexibility as we’ve ever seen in this market -- should continue to push the pedal down.
Okamoto is another strong step back in the right direction, though. The Blue Jays, not in any way content to just “run it back,” are retooling and reloading this roster to be bigger and better.