The Pittsburgh Pirates have already enjoyed a successful offseason, adding multiple impact bats to their lineup and fulfilling their goal of improving their position player group. They may not be done yet, either, as they’re still pursuing other moves and could have another big addition or two up their sleeves.
This winter hasn’t been all good news for the Pirates, however, who have missed out on several of their top free agent targets. After falling short in the Kyle Schwarber sweepstakes last month, they also missed out on Japanese star Kazuma Okamoto, who reportedly signed a four-year, $60 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday.
Pittsburgh had been linked to Okamoto last week and appeared to have a good chance to sign him, looking like the favorite at one point. The Pirates reportedly lost momentum heading into the weekend as other contenders emerged, however, according to an update from FanSided’s Robert Murray on Friday.
While Murray reported that the San Diego Padres appeared to pull ahead of Pittsburgh, Okamoto ended up signing with the Blue Jays. That isn’t surprising, as the defending American League champs have been one of the most aggressive teams in baseball this offseason and have money to spend.
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Okamoto would have been a good fit for the Pirates as a power-hitting corner infielder, but they shouldn’t feel too bad about missing out on him. He’s already 29 and has never played in the Major Leagues before, so he’s a risky signing.
With six weeks until Spring Training, Pittsburgh has plenty of time to pivot if it still wants to add another bat for 2026.
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