The Pittsburgh Pirates will have to pivot to new options at third base.
According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, Japanese third baseman Kuzuma Okamoto is signing with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Okamoto’s posting window
was set to close at 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported earlier on Saturday that the Pirates were in on Okamoto. The Pirates have been linked to Okamoto for nearly a month.
FanSided’s Robert Murray said the Pirates were interested, but that they were not the most likely landing spot.
Okamoto entered the United States this week to meet with teams in Los Angeles.
The Pirates, San Diego Padres, and Los Angeles Angels were the three teams with the most buzz around Okamoto before he landed with Toronto.
The Blue Jays were two outs away from winning the World Series before Miguel Rojas hit a solo home run to tie the game and send it into extra innings.
Okamoto, 29, can play third and first base and is a right-handed slugger who hit 248 home runs over 11 seasons in the NPB.
In 77 games last season between two separate leagues, Okamoto hit .322 with 23 doubles, 15 home runs, and 51 RBIs. He has hit 30 or more home runs in six seasons, including 41 in 2023.
The Pirates need to turn the page to other options. The best third baseman available on the free-agent market is Eugenio Suarez.
Suarez hit 49 home runs between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners last season. The 34-year-old only hit .228, but was an All-Star and key piece of the Mariners’ run to the ALCS.
Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm and Orioles Jordan Westburg may be potential trade options.
Ben Cherington traded for second baseman Brandon Lowe and signed first baseman/DH Ryan O’Hearn to improve the Pirates’ offense. The team still needs one more impactful bat to support a young rotation led by Paul Skenes and Bubba Chandler.
