The Toronto Blue Jays are in for a rather intriguing offseason. With quite a few players of theirs up for free agency, the team has a lot of work to do to not only maintain the level they played at in 2025 but also improve upon that enough to compete in 2026.
On the positive side, this free agency class is full of high-value options at pretty much every position, which bodes well for the Blue Jays in the event that some key pieces end up walking.
There have been plenty of rumors recently on players they are interested in, as well as information surrounding whether or not they will look to keep their key players. One of the more recent reports that came out was regarding an international free agent who is set to be posted this winter, and the teams that ended up having scouts in attendance for his latest matchup.
The player noted is infielder Kazuma Okamoto, who, in a recent exhibition game, was scouted by several MLB teams in preparation for his upcoming free agency.
What is the Latest Report on Kazuma Okamoto and Teams in Attendance at His Latest Game?
The most recent report surrounding Okamoto comes from Yahoo Japan, which recently detailed information from a recent exhibition match between Japan and Korea in preparation for the World Baseball Classic. Okamoto ended up batting fourth in this matchup as a designated hitter, and in the article, it was noted that the following teams from the MLB had scouts in attendance:
“Even before the game, a large number of major league scouts gathered behind the backstop…On that day, several teams, including the Yankees, Phillies, Padres, Angels, Blue Jays, and White Sox, were watching from behind the backstop at Tokyo Dome.”
Going up against the New York Yankees could be a fun point of interest for fans to watch out for, as any divisional competition over free agents could be highly contested. After Toronto knocked the Yankees out of the postseason this past year, it could become a slightly bitter rivalry where the bidding becomes higher on Okamoto, considering how impressive he has been in the NPB.
It will be interesting to see how things develop surrounding the international free agents this offseason, as between Okamoto, Munetaka Murakami, and Tatsuya Imai, there is going to be quite a bit of money invested into NPB talents this winter.
As winter meetings approach in only a few weeks, it may become even clearer which teams will be suitors for these highly sought-after players, but for now, the Blue Jays certainly seem to have interest in Okamoto.
