The Seattle Mariners have had a solid offseason through Christmas but it's hard to shake the feeling that there's more the team can do.

So far this year, the Mariners have re-signed first baseman Josh Naylor to a five-year, $92.5 million contract; acquired high-leverage lefty Jose Ferrer in a trade with the Washington Nationals; signed backup catcher Andrew Knizner to a one-year deal and brought in veteran first baseman/outfielder Rob Refsnyder to a one-year contract.

After Seattle re-signed Naylor and brought in Ferrer, second base and third base were the clear holes for the defending American League West champions.

The Mariners attempted a second reunion at second base with veteran Jorge Polanco. The one-time All-Star opted to head east and signed a two-year, $40 million contract with the New York Mets.

Seattle has also engaged in trade conversations with the Arizona Diamondbacks and St. Louis Cardinals for Ketel Marte and Brendan Donovan, respectively, but a deal is yet to get over the finish line.

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Recently, the Mariners have been confirmed to be interested in bringing back third baseman Eugenio Suarez but there could be a better option for Seattle to find at the corner. At the very least, someone who can split time at third: corner infielder Kazuma Okamoto.

Okamoto was posted by the Yomiuri Giants of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball this winter and has a deadline of Jan. 4, 2026, to sign with an MLB team.

Okamoto received less fanfare than his countryman Munetaka Murakami, who's younger than Okamoto and has one of the most impressive power profiles from a Japanese player in decades. Murakami ultimately signed a two-year, $34 million contract with the Chicago White Sox.

Okamoto will enter his age-30 season in 2026. He doesn't have the power of Murakami but has a much better hit-to-contact ability.

In 11 seasons in NPB, Okamoto scored 574 runs in 1,074 games and hit 212 doubles, three triples and 248 home runs with 717 RBIs. He slashed .277/.361/.521 with an .882 OPS.

Okamoto will likely cost less to sign than originally projected if Murakami's contract is any indication.

The Mariners reportedly had interest in Murakami before he signed with the White Sox.

Even though he doesn't have Murakami's power, it's reasonable to expect Seattle to have checked in on Okamoto, as well.

However, Okamoto's hypothetical fit with the Mariners has grown harder to picture after the team signed Refsnyder.

The 35-year-old specializes against left-handed pitching, which likely means he'll take over as either the DH, at first base or in right field when Seattle faces southpaws. Okamoto is a right-handed bat and he projects better as a first baseman than a third baseman but there's still a way the M's could make his fit work.

The organization's top prospect, Colt Emerson, is currently expected to compete for the starting third base job in spring training. He bats left-handed.

Seattle could take pressure off Emerson's hands and mitigate the risk in signing Okamoto by having the two rotate at the hot corner based on whether the team is facing righties or lefties. The DH role, which has been used fluidly in recent seasons, could be Okamoto's with a rotation of Refsnyder, Naylor (when Refsnyder plays first). Cal Raleigh can also rotate as DH on his rest days.

It's not an ideal fit, especially for a player with more than a decade of professional experience who would command over or near $10 million a year. But Okamoto also has spent some reps in the outfield as well.

Between Okamoto and Refsnyder as well as the rest of the team, the Mariners could be able to effectively take left-handed pitchers to task more effectively. Seattle ranked 12th in the majors in OPS this past season against left-handed pitching (.726 OPS) and 17th in batting average (.241).

Is Okamoto a perfect fit for the Mariners? No. But he gives them depth and versatility, which the club values.

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