Sep 15, 2025; Tokyo, Japan; A Japanese fan waves a flag during World Athletics Championships at National Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kazuma Okamoto, one of the top sluggers in Japan, announced Wednesday that he is making himself available to Major League Baseball clubs via the posting system.
“I believe MLB is the best league in the world, and I’ve always wanted to play there. I’ve worked hard with that goal in mind,” Okamoto said. “I’m grateful to all the team officials and fans who respected my decision and gave me their support.”
Okamoto, 29, is a right-handed-hitting corner infielder for Japan’s Yomiuri Giants, clubbing a career-high 41 home runs in 2023 as part of a six-season run of 30 home runs or more.
His past two seasons have been less productive. Okamoto hit 27 home runs in 2024 before injuries took their toll in 2025, limiting him to 15 long balls over 69 games.
Memorably, Okamoto starred on the international stage during the 2023 World Baseball Classic championship game, when he took Team USA’s Kyle Freeland deep as Japan won the WBC title.
Over his career, Okamoto is .277/.361/.521 hitter.
Once he becomes available, Okamoto will be able to negotiate with any MLB team over a 45-day window. If a team reaches an agreement with him, that club would need to pay a release fee to Yomiuri. The fee starts at 20 percent of the contract value and could rise depending upon the worth of the agreed-upon contract.
Okamoto is one season away from qualifying for unrestricted free agency.
–Field Level Media
