Japanese star Kazuma Okamoto will be posted for Major League Baseball teams this offseason by the Yomiuri Giants.

The Giants announced on Wednesday that Okamoto, 29, is going to be available for MLB clubs under the posting system after spending 11 seasons playing in NPB.

Normally a corner infielder with the glove, Okamoto owns a .274/.355/.501 slash line with 248 home runs in 1,074 career NPB games dating back to 2015.

Okamoto has spent the bulk of his career playing first and third base, with some experience in the outfield. His primary position has been at the hot corner, though he did play a career-high 130 games at first during the 2024 season.

An elbow injury limited Okamoto to 77 games in 2025. The injury occurred early in the season when he Takumu Nakano of the Hanshin Tigers collided with him at first base as he was attempting to make a catch.

Okamoto still put up a strong .322/.411/.581 slash line with 15 homers in 314 plate appearances during the 2025 campaign.

A statistical comparison between Okamoto and Munetaka Murakami, who is also expected to be posted this offseason, shows that Okamoto has been better better in certain areas.

Okamoto’s strikeout rate this season was 13.3 percent (36 in 270 at-bats). Murakami was at 32.3 percent (71 strikeouts in 220 at-bats).

Murakami has the advantage of being five years younger—he turns 26 on Feb. 2—and has shown more power in NPB with a .550 career slugging percentage.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan noted in September that Okamoto will end up getting a shorter-term deal than Murakami, but MLB teams still view a contract worth at least $50 million as “plenty realistic” for the six-time NPB All-Star.

FanGraphs‘ international scouting page lists Okamoto as a power-over-hit player with a 40-grade hit tool (below-average) and 55-grade in-game pop (above-average).

Okamoto could be a solid alternate option for teams that want to add a potential power hitter but are nervous about paying what it will likely cost to sign free agents like Pete Alonso, Kyle Schwarber, Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suárez.

Under MLB’s posting rules, all 30 teams have 45 days to negotiate a contract when a player is posted. The signing team has to pay a release fee that is determined by the total value of the contract.

If the player doesn’t sign within the 45-day window, they are returned to their NPB club for the following season.