TORONTO –
In what may be the most endearing free agency decision in baseball history, Japanese slugger Kazuma Okamoto let his daughter weigh in on his career choice, and her artistic eye played a factor in his decision to join Major League Baseball’s Toronto Blue Jays.
Okamoto was introduced on Tuesday as the newest member of the Blue Jays and revealed that before making his decision he put the logos of all 30 MLB teams in front of his daughter and asked her which one she liked most.
The verdict? Toronto’s stylized blue jay head with an integrated red maple leaf won the day, and Okamoto said that endorsement stuck with him throughout a decision-making process that culminated with him signing a four-year deal with the Blue Jays on Sunday.