What Are Pirates' Chances of Signing Kazuma Okamoto?

Who is the Competition for Okamoto?

Okamoto is commanding interest from a number of teams, including Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels and the Toronto Blue Jays, according to Jon Heyman of Bleacher Report.

Pittsburgh competing with big-market teams like Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and Toronto puts them at a disadvantage, but they have a big advantage over those teams.

There are a few free agent infielders that will command big contracts, with the likes of Alex Bregman, and Bo Bichette, that teams are fighting to sign and make a big statement.

Heyman expects the big market teams will go after Bregman, who also plays third base, and Bichette before going after Okamoto.

The Pirates aren't going after those players and have the advantage of prioritising Okamoto earlier on, which they have done so.

The Angels are a team that do have an edge over the Pirates in that they are a west coast team and owner Arte Moreno does spend money, getting near a $200 million payroll last season.

Heyman did mention that Moreno "didn't give the go-ahead" to the Angels to sign Murakami, which could impact them potentially signing Okamoto.

Could Payroll Play a Factor for the Pirates?

Pittsburgh must be willing to spend more and give more years than the competition, but they have had payroll constraints in the past.

The deal with O'Hearn puts them around $90-$95 million for 2026 and they probably only have about $15-20 million left on payroll.

Pittsburgh also has other areas of need, like a left-handed starting pitcher or more relief pitchers that they'll have to pay.

Okamoto will likely command a strong salary, although, the real market for his services is unknown and also what he would want in a contract.

MLB Trade Rumors predicted that Okamoto will sign a four-year, $64 million contract, which is about $16 million. This would make Okamoto the second-highest paid player on the Pirates if he signed, behind right-handed starting pitcher Mitch Keller at $16.9 million.

That $16 million range would make sense for the Pirates and that length, while twice as long as O'Hearn, is something the Pirates would need to budge on, as Okamoto might want a longer deal than Murakami.

If the Pirates get a real chance to sign Okamoto within the $15-$18 million range, or even lower, then he should fit into their plans for next season.

Insider Addresses Pirates Chances with Kazuma Okamoto

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic spoke on the Foul Territory podcast about the Pirates potentially being a team that could sign Okamoto.

He addressed the trepidation certain free agents look at with the Pirates, such as the recent decade-long streak of missing the playoffs and low payrolls.

Rosenthal also noted that the recent trades the Pirates have made and the starting pitching rotation, led by National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes, may cause Okamoto to give it a serious thought.

"I do think that it'll come from the Pirates or some other team that is not necessarily on anybody's radar," Rosenthal said. "We've heard about the Pirates interest, really from the start of the offseason and I don't know if they're going to ultimately land him. He might be think like all the domestic free agents, 'Well, if I have a better option, why would I want to go to Pittsburgh?'

"But, Pittsburgh is a little bit more enticing after the two trades that they've made. Oviedo, then Mike Burrows, they get Brandon Lowe, they get 'The Password' from Boston. They've got some things happening. Jake Mangum came in the Burrows trade, as well as a reliever, Mason Montgomery, and of course, they have that great rotation, or the promise of a great rotation with Paul Skenes at the top.

"So maybe Okamoto sees them a little bit differently. Maybe other free agents start to see them a bit differently..."