How Will the Okamoto Signing Impact the Blue Jays' Pursuit of Tucker and Bichette?

The Toronto Blue Jays have made another high-profile acquisition in an already busy offseason, this time addressing the lineup by signing Kazuma Okamoto to a four-year contract.

It’s an exciting deal, but it’s not quite the position player signing Jays fans were expecting or hoping for when this offseason started.

It’s been impossible to look into the markets of consensus top free agent Kyle Tucker or Bo Bichette without acknowledging the Blue Jays as an obvious fit. While Jays fans should be well practiced at avoiding falling victim to the rumour mill by now, there has been somewhat of an assumption that the Jays will be signing at least one of those guys, even from some industry insiders.

Whenever a team makes a big addition – and Okamoto’s four-year, $60 million deal is a big addition – there’s always discourse as to how the move will impact the team's approach to the rest of the market. This signing puts the Blue Jays at an estimated luxury tax payroll of just over $308 million, which is currently the second highest mark in MLB, following only the L.A. Dodgers. 

It’s impossible to have a take other than that being awesome for Blue Jays fans, but it could very well make it financially impossible for the club to add another nine-figure contract like the ones that Bichette and Tucker seem destined to sign.

Or maybe it’s still possible, but it would take a subtraction from the current roster via trade. In that case, Anthony Santander and José Berríos are the obvious names to point at.

There’s also a chance that the Blue Jays continue acting like a behemoth organization and are able to sign one of Tucker or Bichette without major money going out the door.

Before we predict which route the Jays are going to take when approaching their pursuits of Tucker and Bichette, it’s important to know what they’re getting in Okamoto.

He’s put up some eye-popping numbers throughout his 11 seasons in Japan’s NPB, including a stretch of six straight seasons from 2018-23 where he hit at least 30 homers, and he hasn’t posted an OPS below .800 since his age-21 season in 2017.

Aside from the obvious fact that Okamoto has been consistently one of Japan’s best hitters throughout his career, it’s not hard to assume that one of the things the Blue Jays liked most about his game is the way he combines that pop with an ability to avoid swing and miss and put the ball in play. It’s an identity shared by so many Blue Jays hitters, and we just watched the Jays ride that identity to a top-five offense in 2025, and to a World Series berth.

There aren’t very many questions about Okamoto’s bat. He’s expected to bring a high floor and fit right into an already dynamic lineup with his strong approach.

Defensively, the hope is that Okamoto can be an average defensive third baseman and a well-above-average first baseman. There are also a few whispers that he could fit in a corner outfield spot.

Looking at the way the Jays roster is currently built, it wouldn’t be hard to assume they’re pretty happy with where it’s at heading into 2026. They will likely be one of the favourites to win the American League again.

To be clear, the Blue Jays almost definitely feel like their roster is close to complete and would feel good about their chances of repeating as American League champions without another big-name acquisition.

But if they want to get greedy, there’s still space for the Jays to fit either Bichette or Tucker and push the ceiling of this team as high as it’s ever been.

As far as Bichette, the likely scenario, if he were to return, is that it would be as a second baseman, with Andrés Giménez sliding over to shortstop, just as we saw in the World Series. Okamoto will likely be the everyday third baseman, which is going to push Addison Barger into a regular role in right field, with Santander getting the majority of the playing time in left.

The Tucker fit is maybe a little bit less clear at first glance. Adding Tucker would leave one of Santander or Barger on the outside looking in when it comes to playing time, unless the rumours of Okamoto’s viability in the outfield are true, and the three of them split two positions, as well as the odd appearance as the designated hitter. In this scenario, Ernie Clement is the everyday second baseman.

If I had to bet, a Tucker signing doesn’t come without a Santander trade, but a Bichette reunion could allow the Jays to keep the current roster intact.

The good news for Jays fans is that early reporting around the topic is that the team isn't being ruled out of either the Tucker or Bichette market despite the Okamoto signing.

To tie a bow on this for now, I don’t think that signing Okamoto necessarily helps the Jays’ chances of signing either Bichette or Tucker, but that’s not to say that either scenario outlined above is impossible.

All 30 teams in baseball can make room on their roster for either Bichette or Tucker, including the Blue Jays after signing Okamoto. It’s simply going to come down to which teams make the best offers, as well as the choices of the players. If there’s money still available, it’s hard to make a case against Toronto being one of the most attractive destinations in MLB, with a World Series-ready roster already in place.

If you’ve read through this whole article and are still feeling like you have no idea if the Jays are still going to be in the Bichette and Tucker markets, welcome to the MLB offseason!

Nobody knows anything until a deal is done.