Last offseason the Chicago Cubs desperately needed to add an impact bat to their lineup and they did by trading for Kyle Tucker. Now, Tucker is a free agent and most likely headed elsewhere after a sputtering second-half to his 2025 season with the Cubs. So, Jed Hoyer is back to square one, needing to find a difference-maker to add to a deep, but not necessarily threatening lineup of hitters.
We saw how Tucker, when healthy and effective, took the Cubs offense to a higher level during the first three months of the regular season. He's expected to leave and although it will be tough to replace his production there might one free agent coming over from Japan who may ultimately be the steal of the offseason.
Munetaka Murakami, the slugging 25-year-old from the Yakult Swallows of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, is getting most of the headlines during the early weeks of free agency. He's put up monster home run numbers in Japan, including a 56-homer season in 2022, which has led to contract projections upwards of nearly $200 million. But I want nothing to do with a guy who might set the strikeout record year after year facing MLB pitching, while putting up Joey Gallo numbers and I'm talking about Joey Gallo numbers from his last few years in the majors.
No, instead I want the Cubs to be all over Kazuma Okamoto.
Why Cubs Should Sign Kazuma Okamoto
He's a few years older, which may be a reason that Kazuma Okamoto isn't perceived as a higher caliber free agent in this year's class, but the 29-year-old has been a consistent performer with the Yomiuri Giants since becoming an every-day player in 2018. The right-handed hitter doesn't have the same raw power as Murakami, but Okamoto makes up for the slugging by doing everything else at a good level.
Kazuma Okamoto year-by-year stats (2018-2025)
2018: .309/.394/541, 33 HR, 100 RBI, 19.5 K%, 11.7 BB%
2019: .265/.343/.485, 31 HR, 94 RBI, 21.0 K%, 9.9 BB%
2020: .275/.362/.543, 31 HR, 97 RBI, 17.0 K%, 11.0 BB%
2021: .265/.341/.530, 39 HR, 113 RBI, 18.2 K%, 9.6 BB%
2022: .252/.336/.469, 30 HR, 82 RBI, 16.0 K%, 9.8 BB%
2023: .278/.374/.584, 41 HR, 93 RBI, 18.8 K%, 12.2 BB%
2024: .280/.362/.501, 27 HR, 83 RBI, 15.9 K%, 10.8 BB%
2025: 327/.416/.598, 15 HR, 49 RBI, 11.3 K%, 11.3 BB%
Okamoto was limited in 2025 because of an elbow injury that sidelined him for a big chunk of the season, but he still homered 15 times in 69 games and posted an eye-popping 1.014 OPS in 293 plate appearances.
Prior to 2025, Okamoto played in at least 140 regular season games six of his last seven years.
One of the main questions regarding hitters coming over to MLB from Japan are how well will they be able to hit velocity. It's a major difference stateside compared to the pitching style in the NPB, but the data shows that Okamoto has been able to handle velocity throughout his career.
We're talking about another good hitter who would be a great fit with the Cubs. He's primarily played the corner infield positions, while also having some experience in the corner outfield spots. Okamoto could start at third, giving Craig Counsell the option to move Matt Shaw around some days or Okamoto may fill in at first base against left-handed pitching in case the Cubs continue to minimize Michael Busch's plate appearances vs. lefties. And on days when Shaw and Busch start at third and first, Okamoto slots in perfectly as the designated hitter.
But how good is he defensively?
Seems like at the very least Okamoto is playable at third base, while Murakami is seen as a true DH.
Of course, when talking about free agents and the Cubs, fans have to ask how much is it going to cost and is it realistic based on the team's spending habits? Well, this is also why Okamoto is an ideal target in free agency for the Cubs this offseason. The contract projections for Okamoto are well within the range for the Cubs to pursue.
Kazuma Okamoto contract projections
Kiley McDaniel (ESPN): 3 years, $36 million
MLBTR: 4 years, $64 million
Tim Britton (The Athletic): 4 years, $78.5 million
Ben Clemens (FanGraphs): 4 years, $72 million
If the Cubs can immediately get Okamoto to commit to pulling the ball in the air, then it's not out of the question that he could put up a 30 HR season like Seiya Suzuki just did in 2025. And no, I'm not just bringing up Suzuki because he's also Japanese as Okamoto has posted similar batted-ball data as the Cubs' slugger.
I love the fit. Seems like an ideal target for the Cubs, but we'll see what the offseason brings us.
