The defending American League champion Toronto Blue Jays, who have spent more in free agency than any other major league club, made another splash in the new year, signing 29-year-old Japanese slugger Kazuma Okamoto to a reported four-year, $60 million contract.
Weeks after losing to the Dodgers in Game 7 of the World Series, the Blue Jays made their first big move of the offseason, signing right-hander Dylan Seth to a seven-year, $210 million contract, a massive commitment that remains the largest contract given to a free agent this winter. This proved to be just the beginning of Toronto’s efforts to bolster its pitching staff, followed by two sizable deals in December, with another starter in Cody Ponce (three years, $30 million) and one of the top relievers in Tyler Rogers (three years, $37 million).
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But for all of Toronto’s success on the mound early in the offseason, there are still major questions about its plans to fill out the position player group, especially after homegrown star Beau Bichette becomes a free agent. Fueling the speculation is not only the question of whether the Blue Jays will retain Bichette, but also the fact that the team’s new status as one of the league’s biggest spenders makes them potential suitors for several of the top free agent bats on the market. That includes top position player outfielder Kyle Tucker, who reportedly visited Toronto’s spring training complex in Dunedin in early December, and another quality infielder, Alex Bregman, whose decision will greatly impact the division rival Red Sox.
Meanwhile, the signing deadline set by Japan’s 45-day release window for top free agents is getting closer, providing a deadline to spur some action on the free-agent market. As it turned out, the teams involved in the pursuit of the three NPB stars — slugger Munetaka Murakami, right-hander Ryuya Imai, and finally Okamoto — remained uncertain until the end of the release process. The rebuilding White Sox first shocked Murakami by signing him to a two-year contract. Then the competitive Astros swooped in and signed Imai to a similar short-term deal. As Okamoto’s deadline approaches, reports have consistently cited the Padres, Angels and Pirates as the top teams in his market, but based on the opaque nature of the first two posts, a mystery team appearing in Okamoto’s final moments seems right.
Sure enough, the Blue Jays became that mystery team, landing an intriguing addition that raises further questions about the club’s offseason strategy. At first glance, before considering his exact role on the roster, Okamoto would be a natural fit for Toronto as a senior hitter who combined strong contact skills with explosiveness during his illustrious NPB career. He’s the slugger style that Guerrero and Bichette have long embodied for Toronto, helping lead the team to the 2025 division title and a magical run in October. It’s no surprise that Toronto would be drawn to Okamoto as a player in its search for offensive reinforcements.
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But given how much unfinished business the Blue Jays appear to have this winter, not to mention the position players already on the roster, exactly how Okamoto fits on Toronto’s roster is a challenging question. Team context aside, most evaluators think Okamoto is viable at third base, though he’s unlikely to be a good defender at the hot corner at the major league level, and he’ll probably be better at first base in the long run. Okamoto also has some experience in the outfield, having made 68 starts in left field during his NPB career.
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The obvious starting point for the Blue Jays is to acknowledge that even if scouts see first base as Okamoto’s ideal position on the diamond, it won’t be his option anytime soon; Guerrero’s emergence means Toronto’s first base is nearly as high a priority as any position in the entire league. It’s also worth noting that it may be difficult to find hitters at DH — at least in 2026 — as veteran star George Springer has one year left on his contract, and Toronto would certainly prefer to limit his exposure in the outfield as he enters his age-36 season.
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Therefore, the only logical conclusion at this stage is that Toronto is content with Okamoto at third base, and a realistic path to playing time exists in the outfield. For the 2025 Jays, third base is primarily occupied by Addison Barger and Ernie Clement, with Clement earning most of the reps in the postseason. Both players had strong performances in October and proved they can be core players in the Jaybirds’ offense. Each player showcased defensive versatility, with Clemente able to bounce around the infield and Baugh’s rocket arm and athleticism proving valuable in right field.
That flexibility should open the door for Okamoto to become the primary third baseman, Barger to spend more time in right wing, and Clemente potentially moving to second base with Bichette gone (Andres Gimenez slides to shortstop). Okamoto could also have a hitter in the outfield, perhaps as a right-handed complement to Nathan Lukes at one of the corner spots. How Anthony Santander enters his second year with the Blue Jays after a resounding failure in his introductory campaign is another question worth thinking about at this point, especially if Toronto pursues another outfield player like Tucker.
The addition of Okamoto would appear to put the Raptors out of Bregman’s market, but a reunion with Bichette could still be on the cards, as could a deal with Tucker, thanks in large part to the versatility of some of the current position players — and responses to some of those players’ weaknesses. Regardless of the outcome, it’s clear Toronto values Okamoto enough to bring him in and figure out the rest later. It’s a refreshing strategy at this time of year when many risk-averse teams are proceeding with extreme caution.
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While it remains to be seen how Okamoto performs on the roster, Okamoto joining Toronto is certainly a huge organizational win for the Blue Jays after their ill-fated pursuit of Shohei Ohtani and Riki Sasaki the past two offseasons. Toronto isn’t shy about expanding its international presence, and adding a player who starred for the Yomiuri Giants, one of the NPB’s most storied and historically successful teams, is a solid step in that direction. While there have been a handful of Japanese players with the Blue Jays over the years, including affable utility player Munenori Kawasaki and left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, only once in franchise history has a player been signed directly from the NPB: right-hander Shun Yamaguchi, whose transition to the MLB was disrupted by the pandemic, making his lone season in 2020 particularly challenging.
More broadly, no matter where Toronto goes from here, the addition of Okamoto is a bold reminder of the Blue Jays’ new status as one of baseball’s recognized behemoths. Seth’s deal alone makes Toronto the team with the highest free-agent spending this winter but eliminates his huge deal entirely, while the Blue Jays’ combined commitments to Seth, Rodgers and Okamoto ($127 million) still put them third in MLB in free-agent spending behind Baltimore and Philadelphia, the only other teams offering nine-figure contracts this winter.
All in all, it was an aggressive display of urgency after coming close to winning the championship, and a welcome follow-up to the financial investment the team received in April when it secured a $500 million contract extension.
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The Blue Jays’ poor performance in pursuing top free agents this past offseason was undoubtedly a joke, but now they’ve completely turned it around. Adjust your expectations accordingly — because Toronto could be in for another buzz (or two) before Opening Day.