Posting Deadline D-1' 248 Home Run Destination Mystery, Not PIT-LAA

*This content was translated by AI.

The destination of Japanese national team third baseman Kazuma Okamoto (30, Yomiuri Giants) is still in limbo a day before the posting deadline.

Major League Baseball's official website MLB.com announced on the 3rd (Korea Standard Time) that "the Okamoto posting market is likely to expand ahead of the deadline."

Okamoto is a Uta big shot infielder who was named to the Yomiuri Giants as the No. 1 rookie draft of the 2014 Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He hit .273 (1,089 hits in 3,934 at-bats) 248 home runs, 717 RBIs and 574 runs, and on-base percentage of .361 slugging percentage of 0.521 OPS of 0.882 in a season-high 41 home runs and 1,074 NPB games.

The deadline is 7 a.m. on the 5th of this month. However, there is no news that the contract has been signed, only rumors are still rampant. MLB.com said, "Teams that have shown interest in Okamoto include the Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, and Los Angeles Angels. Most people see him as a first baseman or a third baseman," he explained.

On top of that, more teams seem to be rushing as some say outfielders are also possible. This is why Okamoto's ransom is expected to be high at 64 million dollars for four years (about 92.5 billion won), unlike Asian infielders such as Song Sung-moon (30, San Diego Padres) and Murakami Munetaka (26, Chicago White Sox), who applied for posting together.

MLB.com said, "Okamoto can also play in the outfield, so more teams can enter the competition. He played 77 games in left field for 11 years for the Yomiuri Giants. Of course, I haven't played outfield since 2024, but according to The Athletic's Will Saman, the experience could attract the attention of the Toronto Blue Jays.

It is expected to be another destination than previous reports. Until now, Okamoto's main destinations have been Pittsburgh and San Diego. However, the reaction of the U.S. and Japanese media is also confusing, with a new team added until the last minute and existing leading teams excluded.

Another media outlet, Fansaid, said, "The Angels will not be active in recruiting Okamoto. Pittsburgh is also not a strong candidate, he said. "There is little (certain) information about Okamoto at the moment. Therefore, he is likely to sign with an unidentified mystery team," he pointed out.

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*This content was translated by AI.