He began his visit to MLB teams to start this week, as first reported by Yakyu Cosmopolitan, before his window to sign would've closed on January 4th.
Other teams that were in on the 29-year-old star third baseman included the Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Angels, and San Diego Padres.
In 11 seasons in the NPB, Okamoto has posted a .274/.355/.501 slashline with at least 30 home runs in six of the last eight seasons. The Japanese slugger's power numbers dipped slightly in 2024 (27 home runs) and again in 2025 (15 home runs) after playing in just 79 games.
However, this past season in the NPB, Okamato posted a career-best .322 batting average - his previous best being .309 in 2018.
The Nara native is one of the most decorated players currently in the NPB. Okamato is a six-time All-Star, three-time Central League home run champion, two-time Central League RBI leader, and is a two-time Misui Golden Glove Award winner.
In 2018, Okamoto won both the Hochi Professional Sports Award and Tokyo Dome MVP Special Award. He was also part of the Japan National Team when they won the gold medal at the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
He is represented by infamous agent Scott Boras, whose other clients are comprised of some of the biggest names in baseball, including Juan Soto, Bryce Harper, Jose Altuve, Gerrit Cole, Gunnar Henderson, Max Scherzer, Pete Alonso, and reigning back-to-back American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal.
