After landing Kazuma Okamoto, are the #BlueJays still pursuing another marquee off-season transaction? GM Ross Atkins: "We do feel good about our team. Additions at this point will start to cut away at playing time for players we feel are good major league pieces."
Blue Jays: Is there room for another hitter after signing Okamoto?
Photo credit: © Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
By Ben Wrixon
Jan 6, 2026, 17:00 ESTUpdated: Jan 6, 2026, 15:26 EST
The Toronto Blue Jays officially announced the signing of Kazuma Okamoto on Sunday, the latest addition in what has been a busy and productive offseason thus far.
The front office then had a media availability session to introduce the Japanese star earlier today, and general manager Ross Atkins made some interesting comments from the presser regarding future offseason moves:
First and foremost: Okamoto’s four-year, $60-million contract shouldn’t take the Blue Jays out of the running for Bichette or Kyle Tucker from a financial perspective. General manager Ross Atkins wouldn’t have given out that contract if it did. The Blue Jays are operating in unprecedented territory as far as their payroll goes, but both Tucker and Bichette are presumably being treated as “special business cases” for which exceptions can be made to push things even further.
What the addition of Okamoto does mean is that the Blue Jays are probably even less willing to overpay for either player. Their team appears quite strong on paper; it would therefore be surprising to see them extend beyond a reasonable valuation at this stage in the offseason. Still, the money will be there if the contract makes sense. Okamoto was one of the most prolific hitters in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league over the last five years. There’s reason to be optimistic about how his power, approach, and bat-to-ball skills will translate to MLB.
However, there’s also reason to be curious about the Blue Jays’ next move with franchise icon Bo Bichette and several other marquee free agents still unsigned.
The roster fit is what has become more complicated, something Atkins addressed earlier today. The Tucker and Bichette pipe dream is dead. There is simply not enough space in the lineup for both of them, and even fitting one of them would be tricky.
“Their preference is to make Okamoto a super utility player.” We’ve also seen Ponce say he’s willing to start or pitch in relief. Hard to get guys to sign on without assurances of bigger roles, but evidently that changes when your org is in such great shape. Keep pushing.
If he’s brought back to play second base, Okamoto would likely have to play more in the outfield — perhaps in a platoon with Addison Barger — while Andrés Giménez and Ernie Clement handle shortstop and second base, respectively. This is all fine, as the Jays view Okamoto as a super utility type heading into the new season. This likely means Clement’s playing time will dramatically decrease, barring an injury to an everyday player, which is unfortunate for a player who had such an impressive 2025 season.
If the Blue Jays sign Tucker to play right field, Barger would likely be forced into a platoon with Okamoto at third base (amongst other utility-type positions) with Giménez and Clement playing up the middle.
In both these scenarios, Nathan Lukes — who hit second for the Blue Jays for most of 2025 — is without a clear path to playing time. Barger also wouldn’t be playing every day, and neither would Okamoto despite the hefty contract tag. Lukes being traded would almost be inevitable in either situation.
These are good problems to have. Most teams around the league dream of having more quality players than lineup spots. So, while it would likely take a corresponding move, there’s no reason to think the Blue Jays can’t still add one more big bat.
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