The Philadelphia Phillies are expected to make some big changes this offseason as they try to figure out how to get over the World Series hurdle they’ve been unable to clear for the last half decade.
Falling short at various points in the postseason over the previous four runs, the last two years — despite impressive regular seasons and back-to-back NL East titles — have seen swift exits in the NLDS. It’s become clear something has to change, and with a ton of free agents on one of the oldest rosters in the league, this winter presents a resetting opportunity.
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has never been afraid to shake some things up, and that’s exactly what he will do now. While the outfield is clearly the more dire need, some news on Wednesday afternoon should have Philadelphia thinking about their infield.
If Dombrowski wants to change the lineup and potentially move some pieces around, Japanese infielder Kazuma Okamoto of the Yomiuri Giants could be a wonderful fit.
Mar 16, 2025; Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan; Yomiuri Giants first baseman Kazuma Okamoto (25) hits a single against the Chicago Cubs during the second inning at Tokyo Dome. / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Understandably, Munetaka Murakami — who Philadelphia has been linked to — is going to command the lion’s share of coverage when it comes to international free agents. Murakami is four years younger than his counterpart and his arrival to Major League Baseball has been anticipated for years.
The 25-year-old is just a couple of years removed from a 56 home run, 134 RBI season and has still been very effective since then. Okamoto however, while older, is going to command less of a commitment, and there are statistical reasons to think he may translate better as well.
This won’t show up in the numbers because it was a spring training game, but Kazuma Okamoto hit a grand slam off a 99 mph fastball from Roki Sasaki in 2022.
This was less than a month before the Monster of the Reiwa Era threw a 19-strikeout perfect game.pic.twitter.com/3IprHWsP0V
— Yakyu Cosmopolitan (@yakyucosmo) October 22, 2025
While Murakami struggles with striking out at a high rate, Okamoto is the opposite. In his last full season in 2024, Murakami struck out 180 times in 143 games. That same season, Okamoto struck out just 97 times in the same amount of games.
That trend continued into 2025 — a year that both were limited due to injury — and Okamoto’s K rate has been trending in the right direction for years now. Don’t be fooled though, he still has plenty of power as well.
Mar 21, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Japan first baseman Kazuma Okamoto (25) celebrates his home run against the USA in the fourth inning at LoanDepot Park. / Rhona Wise-Imagn Images
Over 77 games in 2025, Okamoto slashed an extremely impressive .322/.411/.581 with 15 home runs and 51 RBI. In the prior seven seasons, he has had less than 30 home runs just once with 27 in 2024, hitting 41 in 2023 and 39 in 2021.
The power combined with the lack of striking out make Okamoto the intriguing kind of player who could be a perfect candidate to excel at the next level. Projected to play one of the corner infield positions, the Phillies would have a few different options for how to fit him into the lineup.
Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Okamoto’s glove is one of his best calling cards, winning multiple Gold Glove equivalents over the years in the NPB. While he is mostly regarded as a first basemen, he has played 60 percent of his games at third, as well as some spot starts in the corner outfield positions.
If the rumors surrounding Bryce Harper are to be believed, Philadelphia could be searching for a first basemen, but more than likely, Okamoto would be a replacement for Alec Bohm after an offseason full of rumors last year. His presence would also give the option to move Harper to DH should Kyle Schwarber wind up leaving.
Given that he can play outfield as well, Okamoto could wind up being the perfect fit to change the approach in the lineup as well as add some impressive versatility on defense. When the rumors this winter start flying, keep an eye on the Phillies to be very involved in the pursuit of Okamoto.
AloJapan.com