Blue Jays' $60 million signing still has a 'crucial' question

The Toronto Blue Jays brought in some interesting faces in the offseason.

They also failed to land Bo Bichette, or Kyle Tucker, or Cody Bellinger, or Alex Bregman.

The departure of Bichette in particular means the lineup might be weaker on paper than it was when last year's team reached Game 7 of the World Series.

That's going to put a lot of pressure on the new hitter they did get. That's Kazuma Okamoto, who signed for four years and $60 million from Japan.

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Okamoto likely slots in at third base, and he's a good hitter, but there's always that question: How will it translate?

The answer to the question could determine how good the Blue Jays are this season.

"Okamoto put up a .355 on-base percentage in his 11 seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball and also reached the 30-homer threshold six of the past eight years," ESPN's Alden Gonzalez writes in a new article on Wednesday. "How much of that on-base and slugging ability translates against the higher velocities in the majors, though, is an open question. And for a Blue Jays team that did not make another meaningful offensive addition this winter, it's a crucial one."

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Toronto's lineup did take a hit earlier this week when it was announced Anthony Santander is looking at an extended absence due to injury. That might not be as big a loss as it seems, though, because Santander was a non-factor due to injuries and ineffectiveness in 2025.

Still, Okamoto will be a pivot point in this lineup. If he's a legitimate contributor, it'll soften the blow of Bichette leaving and of not getting any other big name hitters in free agency.

If Okamoto struggles, though, it could be a season of regression in Toronto, and that's not something any Blue Jays fan would want.

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