Japanese slugger and corner infielder Kazuma Okamoto will be posted for an MLB team to sign this offseason, he and his Yomiuri Giants announced at a news conference on Wednesday.

Okamoto, 29, is an 11-year veteran of Nippon Professional Baseball. A right-handed batter, he has a career slash line of .277/.361/.521 and 248 home runs in the Central League.

In the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Okamoto played a pivotal role in Samurai Japan locking up its third tournament championship. He hit a lead-extending homer in the final against Team USA, a 407-foot solo shot off lefty Kyle Freeland that provided the insurance Japan would need to close out a 3-2 win. Okamoto ended with a 1.278 OPS, ranking third on the team just behind star Shohei Ohtani.

Kazuma Okamoto WILL be posted by the Yomiuri Giants, despite @francysromeroFR’s report the other day.

Definitely someone I hope the Red Sox heavily consider at 1B.

Big power from the right side. 11.3 K% and BB% in 2025. Can handle velo too. Good fit.pic.twitter.com/ga0jRIdHLo

— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) October 22, 2025

Okamoto hit at least 30 home runs each season from 2018 to 2023, including a career-high 39 in 2021. He did not approach the 30-homer mark this season, limited by injury to 69 games in the Central League across which he batted .327. Okamoto finished with 15 home runs, 49 RBIs and as many walks as strikeouts (33) across his 293 plate appearances.

Drafted in the first round by the Giants out of his Japanese high school in 2014, he debuted in the top league the next year but didn’t stick until 2018. He has primarily played the corner infield positions, with most of his time at third base. However, he played most of his innings at first base in 2024, according to Baseball Reference.

Teams looking for a third baseman might consider Okamoto over the likes of free agents Alex Bregman and Eugenio Suárez.

Whatever team signs Okamoto will also have to pay the Yomiuri Giants a release fee dependent upon the total guaranteed value of his contract, in accordance with the rules that allow Japanese teams to put players up for bidding by MLB clubs.

According to MLB.com, the fee for major-league contracts is:

• 20 percent of a contract worth $25 million or less.
• 20 percent of the first $25 million plus 17.5 percent of the total exceeding $25 million if the contract is between $25 million and $50 million.
• 20 percent of the first $25 million plus 17.5 percent of the next $25 million and 15 percent of the total over $50 million if the contract is for more than $50 million.

The NPB team may also be compensated for bonuses, salary escalators or options included in the player’s major-league contract.

All 30 MLB teams will get 45 days to negotiate a deal after Okamoto is posted.

At least two other NPB players will be posted by their clubs this year: 25-year-old first/third baseman Munetaka Murakami, who hit 56 home runs for the Yakult Swallows in 2022, and right-handed starter Kona Takahashi, who had a 3.04 ERA in 148 innings for the Seibu Lions this season and will play next season at 29 years old.

Updated 2025 Offseason NPB to MLB Status

Confirmed Posting:
1B/3B Munetaka Murakami (25)
1B/3B Kazuma Okamoto (29)
RHP Kona Takahashi (28)

Possible Posting:
RHP Tatsuya Imai (27)
RHP Hiroto Saiki (26)

Unlikely Posting:
OF Ryosuke Tatsumi (28)

IFA:
RHP Takahiro Norimoto (34)

— Yakyu Cosmopolitan (@yakyucosmo) October 22, 2025