The San Diego Padres came into this offseason with plans to seemingly gut part of the team. Nick Pivetta, Ramon Laureano, Jake Cronenworth, and even Mason Miller were popping up in trade rumors.
While the full extent of a sell-off was unknown, there was enough smoke that when the Padres signed Michael King to a $75 million, three-year deal, it was a significant surprise.
Another potential surprise signing, in.992 OPS Japanese slugger Kazuma Okamoto, could be in the works as well. According to Jon Heyman of The New York Post, the Padres are one of five teams showing interest in Okamoto ahead of his posting window deadline.
Padres free agent rumor is good news on Okamoto
"The Padres are interested in Japanese 1B-3B Kazuma Okamoto," Heyman reports, "as are the Pirates, Cubs, Jays, and Red Sox."
While being listed first doesn't mean the Padres are more likely to land him than these other teams, if A.J. Preller wants to and has the green light, he could very well be the favorite for Okamoto this winter.
His posting window expires on Sunday, January 4th, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time. With only a few days left to make offers and sign Okamoto, the Padres are one of the finalists.
More teams could jump into the mix over the next few days, but as of now, the Padres are one of five teams, according to Heyman, that are showing interest in the top remaining Japanese free agent left on the board this winter.
Tatsuya Imai signed with the Houston Astros, and Munetaka Murakami signed with the Chicago White Sox. Okamoto is drawing serious interest and will make a decision soon.
The Padres, with Manny Machado at third base, would likely be playing Okamoto at first base if they did wind up signing him. He's a quality hitter, evidenced by his.992 OPS in 2025.
From 2018 until 2023, he hit at least 30 home runs each season, with a 41-homer year in 2023. Even his down year in 2024 was a 27-homer campaign. While he played in just 77 games this past season, he still hit 15 home runs.
There's some smoke between the Padres and Okamoto, and this is one potential free agent worth keeping an eye on as his deadline window approaches. Okamoto might be the next Padres signing this winter, and he would be a great one.
More Padres News:
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- Ridiculous Fernando Tatis Jr. Padres-Reds trade rumor shut down by Jeff Passan
- Mets trade proposal sends Jonah Tong, Carson Benge and others to Padres for three players, including Mason Miller
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