The Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners are two of the top suitors in the free agency sweepstakes for international infielder Kazuma Okamoto. Both teams need to add a corner infielder to replace players they’re set to lose in free agency.
Okamoto is one of the better hitters left on the market at this point. While international free agents often come with question marks, Okamoto looks like a very good and pure hitter.
While the Red Sox and Mariners make a lot of sense, Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter predicted Okamoto would sign with the Miami Marlins this offseason.
“The emergence of Kyle Stowers, AgustÃn RamÃrez and Jakob Marsee in 2025 has given the Marlins something to build around offensively, and swinging for the fences with a run at Japanese slugger Kazuma Okamoto would provide another potential power source,” Reuter wrote. “Jonah Heim is not that far removed from starting the 2023 All-Star Game, and even in a down year last season he still tallied 14 doubles, 11 home runs and 43 RBI in 124 games. He could form a quietly productive platoon with Rule 5 success story Liam Hicks behind the plate.”
The Marlins are in the midst of a rebuild right now, but their roster is quickly beginning to turn around.
As a result, a move for a high upside player like Okamoto would make a lot of sense. It would give the team a talented infielder to rely on in the middle of their lineup.
This idea would be similar to the Chicago White Sox signing Munetaka Murakami earlier this winter. The Marlins have enough money to make a run at Okamoto if they’re interested in bringing the star in.
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