MLB sportscaster drops clue as Pirates hold “multiple virtual meetings” with 29-year-old Japanese infielder

The Pittsburgh Pirates look active this offseason and another report arrived on Sunday, suggesting their strong interest in 29-year old Japanese infielder Kazuma Okamoto.

One month after The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich reported that the Pirates were considering signing Okamoto, a source told Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the two parties have engaged in "multiple virtual meetings."

Notably, Okamoto's 45-day signing window closes on Jan. 4. Thus, the Japanese slugger needs to find a team before that. Meanwhile, the biggest obstacle for the Pirates in this potential signing could be money because they are not known to be big spenders.

Okamoto is projected to earn a four-year, $64 million contract, which is far more than the Pirates' biggest signing ever (Francisco Liriano’s three-year, $39 million in 2014-15). However, this offseason, Pirates owner Robert Nutting is open to spending, given that they reportedly offered designated hitter Kyle Schwarber a four-year deal in the range of $120 to $125 million. The Pirates were also interested in first baseman Josh Naylor before he re-signed with the Seattle Mariners earlier this offseason.

As far as Okomoto's market is concerned, it will largely depend on what happens in the coming days regarding Alex Bregman's free agency. The Red Sox were an interested party in the Japanese infielder, but they don't want to do anything that could affect Bregman's re-signing. Moreover, they have acquired Willson Contreras from the St. Louis Cardinals to play first base for the team. As such, the Red Sox appear to be far from close in regards to Okomoto's potential signing.

Pirates' offseason activities so far

The biggest move by the Pirates this offseason was acquiring All-Star infielder/outfielder Brandon Lowe in a three-team trade with the Tampa Bay Rays and the Houston Astros.

In the transaction, the Pirates also received Brandon Lowe, outfielder Jake Mangum and left-handed reliever Mason Montgomery. Meanwhile, they sent starter Mike Burrows to the Astros, who then sent prospects to the Rays as part of the three-way deal.

Earlier in the offseason, the Pirates did a five-player trade with the Red Sox, in which the former acquired outfielder Jhostynxon García (a top 100 prospect) and pitching prospect Jesus Travieso in exchange for right-hander Johan Oviedo and others.

Edited by Krutik Jain