Kazuma Okamoto is officially set to join the Toronto Blue Jays.
Toronto announced the previously reported four-year, $60-million contract on Sunday, adding the star Japanese infielder to its roster. To make room on their 40-man, the Blue Jays designated right-hander Paxton Schultz for assignment.
Okamoto, 29, hit .327 with 15 homers and 49 RBIs in 69 games last year for the Central League’s Yomiuri Giants. He injured his left elbow while trying to catch a throw at first base on May 6 when he collided with the Hanshin Tigers’ Takumu Nakano, an injury that sidelined Okamoto until Aug. 16.
A six-time all-star, Okamoto has a .277 average with 248 homers and 717 RBIs in 11 Japanese big league seasons, leading the Central League in home runs in 2020, 2021 and 2023. He homered off Colorado’s Kyle Freeland to help Japan beat the U.S. 3-2 in the 2023 World Baseball Classic final.
Schultz, meanwhile, made his big-league debut with the Blue Jays in 2025, posting a 4.38 ERA in 13 appearances and 24.2 innings.
In his first game with Toronto, the 27-year-old tied the MLB record for strikeouts by a reliever in their MLB debut, punching out eight Seattle Mariners on April 20.
Schultz was acquired by the Blue Jays as the player to be named later in the 2021 trade that sent Derek Fisher to the Milwaukee Brewers.
— with files from The Associated Press
