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Blue Jays Continue Hot Offseason, Agree To Terms With Kazuma Okamoto

The Toronto Blue Jays‘ busy offseason continued on Saturday as they officially agreed to contract terms with Japanese free agent Kazuma Okamoto, according to ESPN’s MLB insider Jeff Passan. Kazuma Okamoto is a Toronto Blue Jay.The 29-year-old valiantly anchored the heart of the Yomiuri Giants order since 2018 with an .882 OPS and 248 HR.He led NPB with a 212 OPS+ while being top 10 in K% and top 3 in PullAIR% in 2025 (min. 290 PA).pic.twitter.com/xwJ8XVyMdY https://t.co/RR019dZfPC— Yakyu Cosmopolitan (@yakyucosmo) January 3, 2026 Okamoto, a powerhouse in Nippon Professional Baseball since his 2015 debut with the Yomiuri Giants, has built a formidable resume over 11 seasons. The right-handed infielder boasts a career .277 batting average, 248 home runs, and 789 RBIs, leading the Central League in home runs three times (2020, 2021, 2023) and RBIs twice (2020, 2021). A six-time All-Star, he also earned Gold Gloves at third base in 2021 and 2022, and at first base in 2024. Okamoto represented Japan in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, batting .333 with two homers in seven games. In 2025, an elbow injury sidelined him for much of the year, limiting him to 69 games where he still excelled with a .327/.416/.598 slash line, 15 home runs, and 49 RBIs. Despite the setback, his performance drew plenty of MLB interest. Story continues below advertisement The Blue Jays have approached this offseason like they have unlimited funds and a desperate mission to return to the World Series in 2026. On paper, no franchise in MLB has been more aggressive over the past two months to improve their outlook moving forward.

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