TORONTO — As the Toronto Blue Jays introduced their latest marquee addition Tuesday, the overriding question of where the American League champions might play Kazuma Okamoto became the newest hot topic around one of baseball’s most intriguing offseason teams.
Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins was thrilled to host a news conference for Okamoto two days after finalizing a four-year, $60 million contract with the 29-year-old infielder. But, given some uncertainty with other players who might or might not be Blue Jays next season, don’t ask Atkins where his new addition might play in the field.
“He could impact our organization from a defensive standpoint in several ways,” Atkins said. “We’ll continue to have that dialogue with him.”
Atkins, it would appear, is also having dialogue with Bo Bichette, a career Blue Jay who is taking his time in free agency this winter. Bichette, injured for parts of last season, was still a key part of Toronto’s run to the World Series. He hit .311 with 18 home runs and 94 RBIs, and for his career with Toronto, the shortstop has 111 homers and 437 RBIs.
But the organization saw a glimpse of what Bichette at second base might look like in the World Series, when the Blue Jays lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Bichette also homered off Shohei Ohtani in Game 7.
Re-signing Bichette, and shifting him to second base, might be a more secure infield for the defensive-minded Blue Jays, who could move Gold Glove infielder Andres Gimenez to shortstop.
In that scenario, Okamoto might mesh in seamlessly at third base. But Atkins didn’t speak to that Tuesday. He did not, however, rule out further moves, adding, at the same time, that there’d be roster implications with any new additions.
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“We do feel good about our team,” he said. “The one thing that I would add is additions, at this point, will start to cut away at playing time from players that we feel are very good major league pieces, so we have to factor that in.”
The Blue Jays also have veteran Ernie Clement — a Gold Glove finalist who played second base, shortstop and third base for Toronto last season — under team control for next season.
In the 2023 World Baseball Classic final, Okamoto connected off Colorado’s Kyle Freeland to help Japan beat Team USA 3-2. Now a big leaguer, he said he hopes to represent his country again in the tournament this March.
After coming within two outs of their first World Series title since 1993, the Blue Jays have made significant additions this offseason. Before adding Okamoto, Toronto signed three pitchers, starting with a $210 million, seven-year contract for right-hander Dylan Cease. The Blue Jays also signed right-hander Cody Ponce to a $30 million, three-year contract and reached a $37 million, three-year deal with reliever Tyler Rogers.
“Thank you very much for this opportunity,” Okamoto said at the news conference. “I am very happy to join the Blue Jays. I will work hard every day and do my best for the team. Thank you for your support. Nice to meet you. Go Blue Jays.”
Okamoto hit .327 with 15 homers and 49 RBIs in 69 games last year for the Central League’s Yomiuri Giants. He injured his left elbow May 6 when he collided with the Hanshin Tigers’ Takumu Nakano while trying to catch a throw at first base, an injury that sidelined Okamoto until Aug. 16.
Okamoto had a .277 average with 248 homers and 717 RBIs in 11 Japanese big league seasons. The six-time Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star led the Central League in home runs in 2020, 2021 and 2023.
“It’s been exciting to watch him over the years,” Atkins said. “He’s had an incredible career thus far. The impact on both sides of the ball, the offensive abilities [are] as dynamic as it comes. It fits us very well.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
