Could Kazuma Okamoto be a member of the M's in 2026?
With just one day to go until his posting deadline expires, Japanese slugger Kazuma Okamoto has now been connected to the Seattle Mariners on the free agent market.
Mark Feinsand made note of it in a Jan. 1 piece for MLB.com.
The Pirates, Red Sox, Padres, Mariners and Angels have all been connected to Okamoto, who is considered a better defender than the younger Murakami. He could realistically play first or third base in the Majors, giving him a wider range of clubs to consider.
The Toronto Blue Jays, who just beat the Mariners in the American League Championship Series, have also been rumored to be interested.
What to know about Okamoto
Well, first off, he's not regarded as a great defender at either spot, so the Mariners would have to take that into account.
However, he is known as an excellent hitter. He makes contact at an extremely high rate, which is something the Mariners could use in their strikeout-prone lineup. He could also help replace Jorge Polanco, who departed for the New York Mets.
He's a lifetime .274 hitter in the NPB with a .355 on-base percentage. He struck out only 33 times in 293 at-bats last season. He has six seasons of 30 home runs or more, though he hit only 27 in 2024 and 15 in a shortened 2025. It should be noted that Japan's baseball is in a dead period right now.
He also helped Team Japan win the 2023 World Baseball Classic over the United States.
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How about the Mariners and the money?
After signing Rob Refsnyder, the Mariners figure to have somewhere between $9 and $14 million left to spend this offseason. Is that enough to sign Okamoto? We don't know, but after Munetaka Murakami (two-year deal) and Tatsuya Imai (three-year deal) were forced to sign short-term deals, there is a chance that the M's could find a similar-type offer for Okamoto here.
How could he fit with the Mariners?
This is where things get very interesting, very quickly.
1) The Mariners could play him at third base every day, but they'd shut the door on Colt Emerson and Ben Williamson playing there. They'd also be worse defensively on the left side of the infield, where J.P. Crawford is already declining at shortstop.
2) They could play him at third every day, and give Emerson a chance to slide to second base, but then what happens to Cole Young?
3) They could put him at DH every day, but then what happens to Dominic Canzone? Does he go to right field and platoon with Refsnyder out there? If that's the case, then what happens to both Luke Raley and Victor Robles?
4) And if you're bringing in Okamoto, you're most definitely not bringing back Eugenio Suarez.
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