Sources: Jays, Japanese 3B Okamoto reach deal (0:50)Sources: Jays, Japanese 3B Okamoto reach deal (0:50)
Japanese third baseman Kazuma Okamoto and the Toronto Blue Jays are in agreement on a free agent contract, sources told ESPN.
The deal is worth $60 million over four years with a $5 million signing bonus, a source told ESPN, confirming multiple reports. Okamoto will have a $7 million salary this year and $16 million in each of the following three seasons, according to the Associated Press.
Okamoto’s skills are concentrated more in the frequency with which he gets to his power — regularly lifting and pulling the ball in games — rather than as a hitter with massive power, though Okamoto’s raw power grades are still plus when compared to big league hitters.
Okamoto, like Murakami, has limited long-term defensive value and is seen as an eventual primary first baseman. He mostly played third base in Japan, but Okamoto has played a lot of first base (474 games in his career), so his transition should be easier. The combination of Okamoto’s long track record and wide base of skills made him attractive to a number of teams looking for a less expensive alternative to Pete Alonso on the free agent market.
The Blue Jays will owe the Giants a posting fee of $10,875,000 for Okamoto, according to the Associated Press. MLB teams that sign players through posting must pay a fee to the Asian team from which the player transfers: 20% for the first $25 million, 17.5% for the next $25 million and an additional 15% on every dollar above $50 million.
All deals under the posting agreement between Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball must be finalized by 5 p.m. EST Sunday.
Sources: Jays, Japanese 3B Okamoto reach deal (0:50)Sources: Jays, Japanese 3B Okamoto reach deal (0:50)
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Sources: Jays, Japanese 3B Okamoto reach deal (0:50)