The offseason has barely even begun, yet we can already scrape a potential New York Yankees free agent target off the board — through no fault of their own.
According to reports, Kazuma Okamoto of the Yomiuri Giants, a versatile option at first base/third base who would’ve helped the Yankees’ contact profile, will not be posted by his team after all. Okamoto represented a tantalizing alternative to Munetaka Murakami, the slugging high-strikeout first baseman who many Yankee fans have been fixated on since prior to the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
Murakami, an imperfect fit for the Yankees’ current roster (putting it politely), has previously expressed interest in signing on the west coast, but admitted he was tantalized by New York. The Yankees could really use a high-profile splash in the Japanese market, and Okamoto felt like a maneuver that Hideki Matsui, still plugged in to the Giants, could’ve facilitated.
While Murakami could be that splash in Okamoto’s place, his skill set isn’t nearly as aligned with the Yankees’ needs, and his bat is far less polished. Simply put, he didn’t develop the way we were all hoping he would overseas, and pursuing him seems like more of a crapshoot — and less of a sure thing in the modern game — than pulling in Matsui and chasing Okamoto would’ve been.
Several industry sources believe that the Yomiuri Giants will not post 3B/1B Kazuma Okamoto after the season.
Okamoto, 29, is one of the best hitters in Japanese baseball, with 248 career home runs.
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) October 20, 2025
Possible Yankees target Kazuma Okamoto will reportedly not be posted to MLB this offseason
Okamoto, entering his prime, won’t be available to the Yankees. That doesn’t mean they should abandon the idea of adding a versatile free agent option who can cover both infield corners and start ~100 games, though. It just means their options for the role have grown more confounding.
If Ha-Seong Kim’s option shakes out strangely and sends him into the open market, he could once again be an infield caddy (and potential shortstop). Willi Castro, someone the Yankees reportedly had interest in at last year’s trade deadline, does plenty of floating. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, currently being used perfectly in Toronto, could be a contact-heavy option, too.
None of those players have the upside of Okamoto, though, one of the preeminent hitters in his baseball-obsessed nation. That’s exactly what he’ll reportedly remain as, despite the Yankees’ likely wishes.
