The Blue Jays have landed a middle-of-the-order bat! It just so happens to be the guy least speculated to be coming over.

Jeff Passan was the first to report early Saturday afternoon that the Blue Jays had formed an agreement with former Yomiuri Giants captain and slugging 1B/3B Kazuma Okamoto on a free agent deal. The Jays, who have long been heavily involved in incoming talent from the Pacific Rim, finally landed their first big fish from that market with the 29-year-old slugger.

This is a move that is surely to land more eyeballs on the ballclub North of the border, as the Giants have long been touted as the New York Yankees of Japan, something Toronto could use to their advantage when potentially recruiting future talent from the NPB.

The main question Blue Jays fans are asking at this juncture is, who is Kazuma Okamoto? How does he profile at the plate and in the field? Does his skillset bode well when transitioning to MLB-level pitching? Let’s dive in and find out!

Chris Clegg breaks down Okamoto’s bat in depth here.

A strong bat-to-ball hitter who ran Z-Contact rates of over 90% with a chase rate of 24% is a fantastic combination. Immediately, you have the baseline of a solid pure hitter, but then you factor in his 92.4 MPH average exit velocity and a max of 112.2 exit velocity, and you have the makings of an above-average power bat as well, who hits the ball at ideal launch angles. Okamoto’s ability to maximize his damage profile on flyballs is what sets him apart from other hitters in NPB. While his exit velocities are more in the 55 grade tier rather than truly elite, he maximizes his output by pulling the vast majority of the balls he hits in the air. In fact, nobody in Japan’s top league amongst qualified hitters pulled the ball in the air more often than Okamoto since the beginning of the 2024 season. This is a very Isaac Paredes type profile at the plate with harder and much more frequent contact rates.

Okamoto’s resume speaks for itself: eight seasons of elite-level production and power outputs with an even more elite strikeout rate. There’s always the question of how well this will translate against much better pitching at the MLB level, but one thing Okamoto has going in his favour is his ability to hit velocity. He’s had no issues with offerings over 94+ MPH over his career as most of now seen the viral clip of him taking a 99 MPH fastball from Roki Sasaki and depositing it in the right centerfield seats for a grandslam, but he’s also turned around 99 from Cubs closer Daniel Palencia and ripped a 112 MPH double to the gap during exhibition play this past season.

As for a little icing on the cake, here’s how Okamoto has fared against left-handed pitching since the beginning of 2023 (via wRC+)

2023: 195

2024: 180

2025: 263

In a division with the likes of Garrett Crochet, Connelly Early, Payton Tolle, Shane McClanahan, Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, and Trevor Rogers, the Blue Jays will rely on Okamoto to counter with star-level production.

When it comes to his defensive profile at third base, there’s less definitive evidence to form a concrete stance one way or another. Some have tabbed Okamoto as a 1st base/DH only guy. Others say he’s formidable enough to play slightly below average defense at the hot corner. Baseball America went as far as to grade him as a 55 defender, which seems to be the most aggressive and optimistic ranking in the industry. People who’ve never watched him will point to the two gold gloves he’s won, but I’d caution against reading much into that, as these awards can be fickle at the best of times, usually going more based on the “eye test” rather than actual metrics.

The consensus is that Okamoto would profile much better defensively at first base, but with the Blue Jays, that’s not going to be an option. It’s been said that Okamoto can also play some LF in a pinch if needed, but that seems more of an “emergency” situation play than something the Blue Jays would actively seek to do, considering Okamoto’s only played 21 games in the outfield since 2020 and zero in 2025. We know how much this organization loves and values its versatility, so we can’t and won’t rule anything out moving forward.

So, we’ve covered Okamoto the hitter and Okamoto the fielder. What about Kazuma Okamoto, the person?

Admittedly, we don’t know much yet about him as a person or teammate, but that is sure to change once the Blue Jays officially introduce him at a press conference along with Scott Boras later today. What we do know is that before the 2023 season, the Giants named Okamoto their captain. A prestigious honour for one of, if not the most storied, franchises in Japan.

That doesn’t happen by accident, and it speaks to the level of respect teammates and the organization had for him. We know how much the Blue Jays value clubhouse culture and overall good people, and with Okamoto, they seem to only be adding to what’s already an incredibly strong foundation.

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