Who is Kazuma Okamoto? Japan's WBC star joined loaded Blue Jays lineup

Jason Sargent Thursday, March 5, 2026

Gabe Lacques, USA TODAYThu, March 5, 2026 at 9:07 PM UTC

After 11 excellent seasons playing professionally in Japan, Kazuma Okamoto is about to get a far broader exposure to global baseball fans.

Okamoto will make his second appearance for Japan’s World Baseball Classic squad, expected to start on the infield three years after he drove in seven runs in seven games of their 2023 run to the championship.

This time, though, far more eyes will be trained upon him now that he’s a member of the defending American League champion Toronto Blue Jays.

Fair or not, there’s a greater scrutiny for international players once a major league team and salary figure have been assigned. And as Okamoto’s arrival unfolds this March, here’s a closer look at him:

Kazuma Okamoto contract

Okamoto signed a four-year, $60 million contract with the Blue Jays Jan. 4, one day before his posting window to join a major league team expired. He received a $5 million signing bonus and $6 million this season, before earning $16 million the final three years of the deal.

Relative to superstars like Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the market for Japanese talent wasn’t red-hot this year. Yet Okamoto did secure a far larger guarantee than the two-year, $34 million commitment infielder Munetaka Murakami received from the Chicago White Sox, and similar to the three-year, $54 million pact pitcher Tatsuya Imai struck with Houston.

Kazuma Okamoto rounds the bases after a spring training home run.Kazuma Okamoto statistics

Okamoto turns 30 in June and has already produced a distinguished career in the NPB. He debuted with the Yomiuri Giants in 2015, when he was 19 years old, and hit 248 homers over 11 seasons. His best all-around season came in 2023, when he hit 41 homers and produced a .958 OPS for Yomiuri, banging out 140 hits in 140 games. He led the NPB in home runs three times and is a six-time All-Star.

Okamoto, a right-handed hitter, had a career .355 OBP and .882 OPS in the NPB.

Kazuma Okamoto scouting report

While his Grapefruit League spring sample is small and should be properly contextualized, five of Okamoto’s seven batted balls have exceeded 95 mph exit velocity, including a 103.4 mph homer hit off New York Mets starter Clay Holmes that traveled 431 feet. He also hit a 104.9 mph double off Marlins lefty Thomas White before departing Florida to join Japan at the WBC.

At 6 feet and 212 pounds, Okamoto brings a physical presence to the batter’s box, combining broad shoulders and quick hands. Like many hitters, he punishes fastballs and may face an initial adjustment period against the more exotic offerings of polished major league pitchers.

Still, his on-base skills and general discipline at the plate should travel well and he’s young and athletic enough to adeptly handle defensive duties at third.

What’s Kazuma Okamoto’s role with the Blue Jays?

Okamoto will be the Blue Jays’ starting third baseman, essentially replacing Bo Bichette, the All-Star who accepted a $42 million annual salary with the Mets. Okamoto’s presence will likely bump Ernie Clement to second base – paired across from shortstop Andrés Giménez – and Addison Barger into right field.

The Okamoto-Bichette swap will certainly affect the Blue Jays’ lineup composition, as Bichette largely batted leadoff or occasionally cleanup. Okamoto’s right-handed bat enables the Jays to keep a right-left-right cadence one through nine in most lineups, as he figures to bat seventh, sandwiched between left fielder Jesus Sanchez and Giménez.