Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox are reportedly one of the teams who have expressed a “big interest” in Okamoto — alongside the Blue Jays and Pirates.
One of the top priorities this offseason for Craig Breslow and the Red Sox’ front office is adding more pop to the lineup — preferably at an infield position.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Red Sox could address that roster deficiency this winter by bringing on one of the more intriguing players out on the market in Japanese infielder Kazuma Okamoto.
Per Heyman, the Red Sox are one of the teams who have expressed a “big interest” in Okamoto — alongside the Blue Jays and Pirates.
The 29-year-old Okamoto has been posted to MLB after spending the first 11 years of his pro career in Japan — and could project as a more affordable option at first base for a team like Boston, especially when contrasted with a pricier free-agent pickup like Pete Alonso.
According to former MLB GM Jim Bowden, MLB evaluators project Okamoto as a first baseman at the big-league level — where he could hold value as a plus-defensive asset with solid pop and a low strikeout rate.
A six-time All-Star in Japan, Okamoto posted six seasons of 30-plus home runs during his extended in NPB. Despite being limited to just 69 games in 2025 due to injuries, Okamoto still posted 15 home runs and 49 RBI.
Even if Okamoto might be more of a 15-20-homer player in MLB, that solid pop is also complemented by strong plate discipline — as he has sported a 17.7 percent strikeout rate and a 10.7 percent walk rate in his pro career to this point.
His ceiling might be lower than another Japanese offseason target like Munetaka Murakami — whose plus power is also undercut by a concerning strikeout rate against NPB pitching (29.5 percent in 2024).
But Murakami does boast a higher floor at the big-league level , especially when factoring in his glove.
Given Triston Casas’ injury history (and his uncertain recovery timeline after rupturing the patellar tendon in his left knee), the Red Sox could target Okamoto as an affordable contingency plan — especially if the team doesn’t want to play a first baseman like Alonso over $150 million on a new deal.
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