Which Team Will Sign Kazuma Okamoto?

"There are less than 48 hours until the posting window closes for NPB slugger Kazuma Okamoto. His first MLB contract needs to be finalized by Sunday at 4:00 pm Central. There's a good chance Okamoto agrees to terms by tomorrow. Tatsuya Imai agreed to a three-year deal with the Astros yesterday to leave a day for a standard physical before his own signing deadline this afternoon."

"The right-handed hitting Okamoto is one of the more interesting mid-tier free agent bats. He's a career .277/.361/.521 hitter over parts of 11 seasons at Japan's highest level. Okamoto was limited to 69 games last year by an elbow injury. That kept his counting stats down, yet his .327/.416/.598 slash line was the best rate production of his career. He has six 30-homer seasons on his résumé and walked as often as he struck out last year."

"Both players are corner bats. Murakami is expected to be a first baseman for the White Sox. Okamoto's position probably depends on his landing spot. One scout with whom MLBTR spoke at the beginning of the offseason opined that he could play a serviceable but unspectacular third base. Okamoto made 52 appearances at the hot corner and played 27 games at first base for the Yomiuri Giants last season. He was primarily a first baseman the year before that, making 130 appearances there against 39 outings at third."

Less than 48 hours remain in Okamoto's posting window, with his first MLB contract needing completion by Sunday at 4:00 pm Central and a strong chance of agreement imminently. Okamoto, a right-handed bat, is a career .277/.361/.521 hitter across parts of 11 NPB seasons. An elbow injury limited him to 69 games last year, but his .327/.416/.598 rate line represented his best season-level production; he also has six 30-homer campaigns and walked as often as he struck out. At age 30, a short- to mid-term contract is most likely. Okamoto profiles as a corner bat with higher contact (80.4% swing contact) and positional flexibility between first and third base.

Read at MLB Trade Rumors