The Toronto Blue Jays have moved to sign this Japanese slugger as they continue to be aggressive this offseason.
As the posting deadline grew closer, the Toronto Blue Jays got to making moves. An aggressive offseason for the Blue Jays continues as Jeff Passan of ESPN reports that Toronto has officially come to terms with Japanese free agent slugger Kazuma Okamoto. The Blue Jays had been linked to Okamoto from Japan's NPB and will look to enjoy his consistent hitting. The question is where he’ll slot into the lineup.
With Vladimir Guerrero Jr. holding down first base, the versatile yet questionable defender could slot into third base or mix in with Guerrero on an off day. Okamoto wasn’t signed for his fielding skills, but for his bat. The near 30-year-old is a career .277 hitter with 248 homers in the NPB. In addition, his strikeout rate has continued to drop by the year, and he struck out 11.3 percent in 2025.
Here is the full story from Blue Jays Roundtable writer Brady Farkas on the signing and how Okamoto slots into their lineup.
The Blue Jays have signed several players to multi-year deals, and while the contract details aren’t yet known for Okamoto, this would be Toronto’s fourth splash move. The Blue Jays will have to pay a posting fee now to Okamoto’s NPB club. That breaks down as 20% for the first $25 million, 17.5% for the next $25 million and 15% on every dollar over $50 million. They clearly find the posting fee worth it to bring in their next star slugger for the 2026 MLB season.