What are the best MLB fits for Kazuma Okamoto?

Yahoo Sports senior MLB analysts Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman discuss the Japanese third baseman’s move to Major League Baseball – and why the Pirates, Angels and Athletics all make sense as potential landing spots. Check out the full conversation on the “Baseball Bar-B-Cast” podcast – and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.

Video Transcript

All right, let’s do Okamoto, uh, quickly.

This is a third baseman who turns 30 in June, Kazuma Okamoto.

Like Imai, also coming off his best season, but a much longer track record of excellence.

He has been the guy, uh, for the Yomiuri Giants, which is the most popular team in Japan.

He has been the dude for this team for a long time.

Uh, this year was abbreviated.

He had a collision at first base, uh, where he injured his, his elbow.

He mostly’s played some third, a little bit of corner outfield, but also some first base.

So he only, you know, got like 300 plate appearances this year, but all of his numbers were basically career bests.

This guy- Yeah.

… all the concerns that you really have about Murakami from a contact standpoint, from an approach standpoint, he just posted a, a career-low strikeout percentage.

He pulls the ball in the air, uh, a lot.

He is… You know, draws walks, he doesn’t chase.

He doesn’t have quite the like, oh my God, raw power that Murakami does, but clearly the power production has been there in Japan.

And, uh, and also importantly, as of course you, you really harped on very fairly when you, when you talked to Danny Wexler about Murakami, is that I think that people are willing to give, you know, Okamoto a chance to play third.

And I think as we introduce some of the teams that are clearly, seem to be in the running to sign him, I think that that’s apparent when the three teams that we’ve heard the most about are the Pirates, the Angels, and the Padres.

Now the Padres, as you kinda mentioned earlier, obviously he’s not gonna play third over Machado.

That’s one where they’re still trying to get creative in just adding offense, and if they can come up with some sort of creative contract, or if they trade someone that gives them some more money, I can see why Okamoto would be a good, good addition for them to be first base, DH, maybe some corner outfield.

But the Angels and Pirates are two of the teams with the biggest third base holes in the league, and clearly teams that , depending on how you talk about them, are trying to win now, right?

Pittsburgh, we’ve seen, as you talked about last week, the moves that they’ve started to make with O’Hearn, uh, with Brandon Lowe.

W- Like, they’re, they’re finally spending some money, and third base is still very unsettled.

Since they, they traded away Ke’bryan Hayes, they kind of have a, a spot there that is not super obviously filled, and so they’re going after Okamoto.

They’re going after, you know, Geno Suarez, which makes a lot of sense.

That’d be a kind of a good way to complete their off season.

How much is it gonna cost?

We’re gonna see.

That’s also the question for the Angels, who so far have just spent very little money on just a few relievers, and everyone just says, “Well, if, if Artie Moreno wakes up one day and decides he wants Okamoto on his team, then maybe he will submit the highest bid and have Okamoto on his team because they don’t really have a third baseman.”

And, you know, they could do that, but I, I don’t know.

I, I, I kinda…

I would…

It would be really cool to see the Pirates, you know, stick the landing on this off season here and get Okamoto.

Yeah.

I don’t love the, the fit offensively in Pittsburgh.

It’s not exactly a place where like right-handed hitters, power hitters are gonna go thrive.

It is one of the largest, uh, left-handed, just like left fields that we have in baseball, and I do a little bit worry about, uh, the, the power production from, from Okamoto there.

But in general, I, I still think it would be awesome if they could get that done, especially because it would probably be a contract that would immediately break the record that Ryan O’Hearn just set, right?

For the largest ever for a Pirates position player.

I don’t really know what to expect for a length of deal for Okamoto.

He is a little bit young for a free agent, but there may still be some wariness to go too long and, and, and think that he doesn’t have that much of a peak left, so.

Yeah.

And then maybe there’s another team.

Maybe there’s another team that, that pops up here, but, but I think at this point- The A’s.

… based on the reporting and…

The A’s are another interesting one if you wanna keep throwing them out there.

Third base is really their only unsettled position, so that’s, that is a, an interesting one.

But they don’t need offense, so that would be a weird use of resources, I would say.

Um, is there- And lastly, lastly.

Is there anyone else?

Yeah?

Let’s cross off the Dodgers.

We can cross off the Dodgers.

Hopefully.

We…

I think we can cross off the Dodgers.

What are the best MLB fits for Kazuma Okamoto?

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