*This is a prediction*
As the MLB Winter Meetings get underway, so do the conversations as to where free agents could sign. This is especially true for the Japanese baseball stars that have been posted. One of the players starting to see increased interest is Kazuma Okamoto.
With Kazuma Okamoto’s talent, he will surely have many suitors. There is one team that makes sense as the team to sign him, and that is the Philadelphia Phillies.
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Kazuma Okamoto Signs With the Philadelphia Phillies
There have been increased discussions throughout the Winter Meetings that the Philadelphia Phillies could be looking to trade their third baseman in Alec Bohm in return for outfield talent. If this becomes the case, the Phillies will then need to figure out a solution at third base, and that is where they can turn to signing Kazuma Okamoto as the answer.
Kazuma Okamoto has made quite the name for himself at the NPB level with his impressive power and consistent contact he is able to make. With Okamoto, he has spent time not only playing third base but also first base and in the outfield, so he would be able to provide the Phillies with some lineup versatility upon signing him.
As far as it goes from the offensive side of things, he would be exactly what the Phillies need to boost their offense even further for the future. With Kazuma Okamoto having had a contact rate of over 70% in each of the last eight years, it has led to him being highly successful on a yearly basis. Just last season, Okamoto had a batting average of .322 with an .992 OPS and 15 home runs while playing in just 77 games as he dealt with an elbow injury.
Over his entire 11 seasons, Kazuma Okamoto has a .277/.361/.521 batting line with 248 home runs. Okamoto can provide an instant impact in the lineup for the Phillies, and if Philadelphia wants to take the next steps as contenders, signing Okamoto is how they achieve this.