Japanese slugger Kazuma Okamoto says he's open to playing a variety of positions with the Toronto Blue Jays.
The infielder was formally introduced by the team Tuesday afternoon at a news conference at Rogers Centre.
Okamoto signed a four-year, US$60-million deal with the Blue Jays over the weekend. He moved to Major League Baseball after an 11-year run in Japan, where he led the league in home runs on three occasions.
"We definitely got better today," said Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins.
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The 29-year-old is expected to play third base for the American League champions but can also play first base and left field. Okamoto said he likes the utilityman role so he can contribute in multiple ways.
"I consider myself a strong player with strong batting skills," he said via an interpreter. "But when it comes to defence, I like playing different positions."
With several big-name free agents - including homegrown shortstop Bo Bichette - still available, Atkins was asked on a few occasions about whether he plans to make any other additions.
Like he has throughout the off-season, Atkins spoke in generalities and wouldn't tip his hand.
"We'll always be open to making our organization and team better if there's a way to do that," Atkins said.
A six-time all-star with the Yomiuri Giants in Nippon Professional Baseball, Okamoto provides a middle-of-the-order bat with some flexibility on the defensive end.
He hit .327 last year with 15 homers and 49 RBIs in 69 games. The six-foot, 212-pound infielder missed over half the season with an elbow injury.
Okamoto hit 25 homers or more in seven straight seasons between 2018-24. He also helped Japan win the World Baseball Classic in 2023, hitting a solo homer and scoring twice in a 3-2 victory over the United States in the championship game.
It's the latest signing in what has been an aggressive off-season for the Blue Jays, who signed pitchers Dylan Cease (seven years, $210 million), Cody Ponce (three years, $30 million) and Tyler Rogers (three years, $37 million) in recent weeks.
The Blue Jays have been linked to Bichette and other top free agents. Outfielder Kyle Tucker, the top name on the market, visited the team's spring-training facility last month.
The addition of Okamoto bodes well for a team that led the major leagues in batting average (.265) and on-base percentage (.333), was third in OPS (.760), but tied for 11th in homers (191).
His signing came after the Blue Jays fell short in their pursuit of Japanese stars in recent off-seasons.
Toronto was in the mix for two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani two years ago and pitcher Roki Sasaki last winter, but both signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who beat the Blue Jays in the World Series last fall.
Under MLB's posting agreement with the NPB, the Blue Jays owe the Giants a posting fee of $10.875 million.
Toronto's regular-season opener is set for March 27 against the visiting Athletics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 6, 2026.
