Soon-to-be-posted Japanese star could be prime target for Yankees

On Wednesday, it was announced that Japanese star Kazuma Okamoto will be posted by the Yomiuri Giants of Japan’s NPB. Often over-shadowed by superstar infielder Munetaka Murakami, who will also be posted this offseason, Okamoto brings a skillset that might set him apart from his fellow star in the eyes of some select MLB teams. Among teams that might find Okamoto to be a better fit, the New York Yankees seem poised to be a top contender for his services. 

In 2025, both stars played shortened seasons due to injury. For Okamoto, it was an elbow injury he suffered during a collision a first base. Despite the injury, he hit an impressive .327/.416/.598 with 15 home runs in 293 at-bats. Though he doesn’t quite have Munetaka’s power potential, Okamoto still led the league in home runs three times, topping out at 41 in 2023. 

Kazuma Okamoto could fill an essential role for the Yankees

At 29, Okamoto is a little older than Murakami (25); still, this might be the only drawback the cautious Yankees management will weigh when assessing both options. Both players split time between first base and third base; however, Okamoto has won three Golden Gloves, one at first in 2024 and two at third in 2022 and 2021. Murakami, on the other hand, is seen as a sub-par defender that will likely find a spot at first base.

Defense has been a sensitive topic for New York, and one that probably won't improve should it add Murakami. In addition, Okamoto’s right-handed bat would give the Yankees an option against lefties at either position to offset the struggles Ryan McMahon and Ben Rice experience against southpaws now that Paul Goldschmidt and Amed Rosario are heading into free agency.

And probably the biggest reason the Yankees would favor Okamoto is his strikeout rate. In 3117 career NPB at-bats, Murakami struck out 977 times, roughly 31% of his at-bats. In 3934 NPB at-bats, Okamoto did so only 796 times. Murakami has an edge over Okamoto with his astronomic power and on-base numbers, but one of the Yankees’ key weaknesses was their tendency to swing and miss. This deficiency was prevalent in their ALDS defeat.

Should the Yankees manage to sign Okamoto or Murakami, either would likely make a transformational addition they wouldn’t soon regret. But given that Murakami feeds into two of the Yankees’ key shortcomings, and since he will certainly be the pricier of the two, it wouldn’t be too surprising if the Yankees opted to pursue Okamoto.