September 15, 2025; Tokyo, Japan; A Japanese fan waves a flag through the World Athletics Championships on the Nationwide Stadium. Necessary Credit score: Kirby Lee-Imagn Photographs Kazuma Okamoto, one among Japan’s prime hitters, introduced Wednesday that he’s making himself obtainable to Main League Baseball golf equipment via the posting system.
“I consider MLB is one of the best league on this planet and I’ve at all times wished to play there. I’ve labored exhausting with that aim in thoughts,” Okamoto mentioned. “I’m grateful to all of the group managers and followers who revered my determination and gave me their help.”
Okamoto, 29, is a right-handed nook outfielder for Japan’s Yomiuri Giants, hitting a career-high 41 residence runs in 2023 as a part of a six-season streak of 30 residence runs or extra.
His final two seasons had been much less productive. Okamoto hit 27 residence runs in 2024 earlier than accidents took their toll in 2025, limiting him to fifteen lengthy balls in 69 video games.
Memorably, Okamoto starred on the worldwide stage through the 2023 World Baseball Traditional championship sport when he took Group USA’s Kyle Freeland to the plate as Japan gained the WBC title.
Over his profession, Okamoto is a .277/.361/.521 hitter.
As soon as obtainable, Okamoto will be capable of negotiate with any MLB group inside a 45-day interval. If a group reaches an settlement with him, that membership might want to pay Yomiuri a launch charge. The charge begins at 20% of the contract worth and may enhance relying on the agreed contract worth.
Okamoto is one season away from qualifying for unrestricted free company.
–Subject-level media
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