The Mariners don't necessarily need Okamoto as a player, but letting him head to Toronto is not a desirable outcome either.
Last weekend, it was reported that the Seattle Mariners were interested in Japanese infielder Kazuma Okamoto. However, Okamoto ended up signing a four-year deal worth $60 million with the Toronto Blue Jays, the team that beat the Mariners in the American League Championship Series in 2025.
I can absolutely make the case that the Mariners didn't need to spend $60 million on Okamoto, a player that's never played or performed in the major leagues, but him heading to Toronto isn't a great outcome either.
I explained why on the most recent 'Refuse to Lose' podcast.
It used to be that the Mariners, I think were the pre-eminent team in Asia. Ichiro, Kaz Sasaki, Shigetoshi Hasegawa, Kenji Johjima, Munenori Kawasaki. Like, it didn't matter. The Mariners had a Japanese influence and it was a really good one, and it was a really good pipeline. And it's one thing to lose that talent to the Dodgers, who are in the other league, but it's another thing now to see the Blue Jays in on that turf, and not only are YOU not in on that turf, but now your chief rivals are there as well and gaining a foothold.
(Munetaka) Murakami and Okamoto come with real questions if they had been with the Mariners, no doubt, and there's no guarantee that they would've been good, or good right away for Seattle. I can justify the Mariners not spending $60 million on Okamoto, but to continue to fall out of the Japanese market, I think is a big deal. And to see the Blue Jays now gaining a foothold in Asia, I think that's a big deal also, and that is just another worrisome development. At the end of the day, we want the Mariners to be the best team in the American League, and if now your American League rivals are also pushing into that market, and you're not, then that's just something again that I notice, and something that bothers me.
MORE MARINERS STORIES
The Mariners haven't had a Japanese player since Yusei Kikuchi signed with them in 2019. He left after the 2021 season, landing in Toronto, Houston and with the Los Angeles Angels afterwards.
Other M's news and notes
Thursday was the deadline to agree to contracts without exchanging arbitration figures. The Mariners, as of this posting, have agreed to terms with both Randy Arozarena and George Kirby.
Logan Gilbert, Matt Brash, Gabe Speier, Jackson Kowar and Luke Raley are still to come.
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