After significant additions to their pitching staff already this winter, the Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a four-year, $60 million contract with free-agent hitter Kazuma Okamoto, a team source told The Athletic on Saturday. A league source confirmed that the deal includes no opt-outs.
The signing represents a splash for the Jays in the Japanese free-agent market and brings a versatile right-handed hitter to Toronto’s batting order.
Okamoto was one of the top three players making the leap from Nippon Professional Baseball to MLB this offseason, along with infielder Munetaka Murakami and right-handed pitcher Tatsuya Imai. Ranked No. 26 on The Athletic’s Free Agent Big Board, Okamoto had been projected to receive a four-year deal worth $78.5 million.
The 29-year-old spent 11 seasons with the Yomiuri Giants, establishing himself as one of NPB’s most powerful and well-rounded right-handed hitters. Okamoto eclipsed the 30 home run mark each season from 2018 to 2023. He hit 27 home runs in 2024 and battled injuries in 2025, but still proved his worth by hitting .322 last season and greatly improving his performance against velocity.
In MLB, Okamoto profiles as a lesser power hitter than Murakami, a player with whom he has inherently been compared. While Murakami boasts 70- or 80-grade power on baseball’s scouting scale, Okamoto is less likely to be a 30-homer player in MLB. He is, however, arguably a safer bet through superior bat-to-ball skills and defense that is likely better than Murakami’s.
“He is going to have the easier path to adjusting to major-league pitching just because he’s got simpler mechanics; he puts the ball in play more, it’s more of a basic swing and it’s more of a major-league-ready type of contact-swing,” an international scout told The Athletic in November.
Signing Okamoto, who should log significant playing time at third base for the Jays in 2026, makes a signing of free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman less likely. Before Okamoto’s agreement, the Jays and Bregman had mutual interest in a deal, a league source said. The Jays could still fit outfielder Kyle Tucker or infielder Bo Bichette into the lineup, but it’s unclear how Okamoto’s agreement impacts Toronto’s pursuit of another top bat.
Adding Okamoto’s $15 million average annual value pushes the Jays’ 2026 collective bargaining tax payroll to $305 million, as projected by Cot’s baseball, above the fourth and final CBT threshold. It would be the first time the Jays surpassed the highest threshold and represents the largest payroll in franchise history, though it could be lowered by deferrals on Okamoto’s deal or future subtractions.
The Blue Jays started the offseason with a bang when they signed Dylan Cease to a seven-year, $210 million deal. They later signed two more pitchers, starter Cody Ponce (three years, $30 million) and reliever Tyler Rogers (three years, $37 million). Now they’ve added Okamoto’s thump to a lineup that led the majors in batting average and on-base percentage in 2025.
Okamoto could play third in the majors, but multiple scouts agree he is better suited for first base. For the Jays, though, first base is clearly occupied by Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
There has been plenty of focus on Okamoto’s pure hitting ability, but another scout still views power as Okamoto’s biggest draw. What type of hitter he becomes and how he ultimately compares to Murakami will be worth tracking over the next few seasons.
“I think it’s going to be power over hit,” an NL scout said. “I think there’s more hitability than Murakami. Slightly better defense. But again, it’s going to have to be first over third in the big leagues. And that profile, he’s just really, really going to have to bang.”