DUNEDIN, FL – FEBRUARY 21: Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto (7) walks to the dugout after grounding out against the Philadelphia Phillies on February 21, 2026, at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Florida. (Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Toronto Blue Jays had a clear roster focus in the immediate aftermath of their narrow World Series defeat against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Shortly after their season ended in disappointment, the Blue Jays acquired frontline starter Dylan Cease, reigning KBO MVP Cody Ponce and veteran reliever Tyler Rogers in a pitching staff overhaul. Compared to those changes, the team’s position player group received less attention, but the Blue Jays did replace long-time shortstop Bo Bichette with Japanese star Kazuma Okamoto.
Advertisement
MORE FROM FORBESDodgers World Series Champion, Son Of Team’s Former MVP, DiesBy Peter Chawaga
Toronto Blue Jays Add Kazuma Okamoto Ahead Of Bo Bichette Exit
Okamoto, who will be making his Major League Baseball debut on Opening Day, earned six Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star nods while playing in Japan. Now, as he looks to fortify the infield in Bichette’s absence, expectations are high.
“There have only been 84 Japanese-born players in MLB history, and of that group, 13 have 1,000 or more plate appearances at the level,” Nick Ashbourne wrote for Sportsnet. “So, when the Blue Jays signed Okamoto — who has 248 NPB home runs — to a $60 million deal, they did so with the expectation that he’d be one of the most successful Japanese hitters and greatest sluggers of all time.”
Advertisement
And Okamoto didn’t just cost the Blue Jays $60 million in a four-year contract, as the team had to pay his NPB team a $10 million posting fee as well.
Toronto Blue Jays’ Kazuma Okamoto Sends Posting Message To NPB Team
The uncertainty and cost associated with a Japanese star like Okamoto present some obstacles in a significant MLB investment. And in a recent interview, Okamoto seemed to share some hard feelings about how long it took to overcome another obstacle in his MLB transition as well.
Advertisement
“I would have liked for them to let me go earlier,” Okamoto said of his former NPB team, the Yomiuri Giants, through an interpreter, per the Toronto Star’s Rosie DiManno.
Okamoto was referring to the Giants’ agreement to “post” Okamoto, which allows him to become a free agent and eligible for an MLB contract.
The slugger might have attracted significant MLB interest at some point earlier in the midst of his NPB success and his comment hinted at some resentment over the team’s refusal to make him available. In October, he told Japanese media that he has “always admired” MLB and said he was “grateful” to the team’s owner for adding him to the posting system.
But as he faces his upcoming debut with the Blue Jays, it seems the multi-time NPB All-Star has still some regrets about how long it took to realize his major-league goal.