The Pittsburgh Pirates were very active during the 2025-2026 offseason. They made a handful of trades and signed a handful of major league contracts. It was a welcoming surprise for Pirates fans, who are used to quiet offseasons with little activity. However, Pittsburgh fell short in their pursuit of many free agents they strongly pursued. The Pirates tried to acquire multiple different third basemen during the winter. One of the said free agents they missed out on was Japanese infielder Kazuma Okamoto.
Missing Out on Kazuma Okamoto Last Offseason Is Coming Back To Bite the Pirates
Superstar Slugger in Japan
The Yomiuri Giants posted Okamoto in late November, 2025. Okamoto had long been one of Japan’s best power hitters. Hitting 248 home runs over 1074 games in the Nippon Professional Baseball league. This included six seasons in a row with at least 30 home runs. While Okamoto missed part of 2025 with an injury, he had one of his most productive seasons in the batter’s box when he was healthy.
He slashed an impressive .327/.416/.598, and it only took him 293 plate appearances to hit 15 home runs. Okamoto walked as often as he struck out, with an 11.3% BB and K rate. His ISO clocked in at .271. Keep in mind, this is in the midst of an NPB Deadball Era. The league average slugging percentage hovered around .350 last year. Unsurprisingly, Okamoto had a wRC+ North of 200, coming in at 210.
The Pirates’ Pursuit of Okamoto
The Pirates had a serious interest in Okamoto. Colin Beazley reported in December that the Bucs met with Okamoto’s camp multiple times via online meetings. Okamoto held in-person meetings with teams in late December, but unfortunately, the Pirates would not come out on top. The Toronto Blue Jays swooped in and signed the corner infielder to a four-year contract worth $60 million.
Now a Top MLB Rookie
Okamoto has had very little trouble transitioning from NPB to MLB pitching. In 328 plate appearances, the slugger is batting .245/.326/.479 with a .350 wOBA and 123 wRC+. The power is translating to MLB and then some. He already has 19 home runs and a .234 isolated slugging percentage. Okamoto is above the 90th percentile of both exit velocity (92.2 MPH) and barrel rate (14.4%). Plus, he is walking at a solid 9.8% rate. The only downside of his offensive game so far is his 31.7% K rate.
Kazuma Okamoto is on pace for:
38 HR (2nd among 3B)
123 wRC+ (5th)
4.0 fWAR (6th)In his first MLB season. Sick player pic.twitter.com/VLYUUb9A53
— AT (@BaseballWRLD_) June 27, 2026
While Okamoto’s defense at third base isn’t going to earn him any Gold Glove consideration, he has been far from bad and isn’t costing the Blue Jays anything on the other side of the ball. He has +5 defensive runs saved, but his range at third base is slightly below average. Okamoto only has -2 outs above average at the hot corner.
Pirates’ Third Basemen Are Struggling This Year
Pirates’ third basemen are not producing very much this season. They are hitting a combined .280/.335/.360 with a .312 wOBA and 95 wRC+. While they have the second-best batting average and seventh-best on-base percentage, they also have the tenth-lowest slugging percentage and the second-worst ISO (.080). Their 18.6% K rate is better than average, but they also aren’t drawing many walks, with just a 5.8% BB rate.
That production would be acceptable if the Pirates were getting good defense at third base, which they are not. They have -8 DRS with -3 OAA at the position. The former is the third-lowest mark in the sport, while the latter is the eighth-lowest. In total, they have just -3 fielding run value, which is the sixth lowest.
Even in Hindsight, the Pirates Needed Okamoto
It’s hard to argue that, in hindsight, the Pirates missing out on Okamoto was not terrible. The Pirates entered 2026 with Jared Triolo and Nick Gonzales as their primary third basemen. Triolo consistently struggles to hit, and this is the first time Gonzales has ever received extended playing time at the hot corner, and it’s showing.
Plus, even after a hot start at the plate, Gonzales is starting to return to form. The Pirates needed Okamoto, and missing out on him might have been the biggest mistake of their offseason. Hopefully, the Pirates learned from their mistake and will go after a third base trade target now.
Main Photo Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
