Latest NPB star to be posted makes more sense for Royals than you’d initially think

After an “Octoberless” 2025 season marred by an inconsistent offense that ranked in the bottom 10 in all of baseball, J.J. Picollo and the Royals front office have plenty of work ahead of them this winter.

While the the Royals’ primary offensive needs lie in the outfield and at second base, at the end of the day, offense is offense and given how fluid and flexible Matt Quatraro likes his lineups to be there doesn’t seem like any shortage of possibilities the Royals could pursue for an optimal lineup.

This means that the Royals could look to bring in the best bats possible and let the chips fall as the may. After all, they’ve already been linked to Red Sox star third baseman Alex Bregman despite already having a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger caliber name at the hot corner in Maikel Garcia.

This is why the latest report out of Japan that NPB star Kazuma Okamoto will be posted this winter should be of intrigue to the Royals.

Kazuma Okamoto could be an unconventional fit in the Royals’ lineup

Okamoto is primarily a corner infielder. Nick Deeds of MLB Trade Rumors pointed out that a majority of his NPB games have been at third with first base being his primary complimentary positions.

“[Okamoto’s] played around 60% of his NPB games at third base, but has also received plenty of time at first base with an increased workload at that position in recent years,” Deeds wrote.

And Jeff Passan pointed recently that he could make the shift over to first base when he comes stateside, much like his NPB counterpart Munetaka Murakami might be.

For the Royals, with Maikel Garia coming off an All-Star season at third and Vinnie Pasquantino putting up a 30+ HR and 100+ RBI at first, there’s no need to search for starting option at either spot.

However, it’s hard not to look a Okamoto’s offensive profile and not at the very least be intrigued to give the possibility of pursuing his signature the time of day.

Okamoto is coming off an age-29 season with the Yomiuri Giants where he slashed .327/.416/.598 with 15 homers, 49 RBI and a 210 wRC+. This adds to the fact that over his 11-year NPB career, he’s hit .277 with an .882 OPS, 248 HR and 717 RBI.

Then in terms of the 2025 Royals, Okamoto would improve the Royals beyond just the basic prowess his stat line represents.

The Royals ranked second-to-last in MLB in walk rate as a team with a 7.2% walk rate. They also happened to make soft contact at the sixth highest rate of anyone in baseball with a 16.4% clip.

Okamoto would certainly stand to better them in both key statistical categories, sporting an impressive 11.3% walk rate and a lower 15.6% soft contact rate.

Then, let’s not forget that for team starving for power, a consistent 30+ HR threat in NPB when healthy would certainly stand to offer improvement, as even after making the challenging jump, it would be easy to imagine double-digit homers in MLB.

While this proves he’s a strong hitter, it still doesn’t answer the question of where he’d end up playing if he were to end up in Kansas City.

Well, outside of the surefire stars like Ichiro Suzuki and Shohei Ohtani there’s commonly a grace period that’s needed for hitters from other pro-leagues to gather their footing and properly make the adjustment to the majors. So, a regular starting role could very well not be required immediately.

Then, there’s the fact that, as Deeds also pointed out, Okamoto has some experience patrolling the corner outfield, which of course is one of the Royals’ biggest needs this winter. They haven’t shied away from moving infielders to a corner when necessary, with well-known names like Jonathan India, Michael Massey and even the aforementioned Maikel Garcia appearing in the outfield at certain points in 2025.

Then, there’s always the DH spot, which Quatraro has like to keep fluid. Now, with the rise if Carter Jensen, there may be a need to ensure that the DH spot is reserved a bit more for both him and Salvador Perez, depending on who’s not catching that night. But it’s hard to think that Quatraro will just eliminate his flexible DH mentality entirely to get two catchers in the lineup every night, meaning Okamoto’s power could still easily find his way in that spot as well some nights.

Now, to address maybe the bigger elephant in the room, Kansas City, Missouri isn’t necessarily the traditional ideal landing spot for a Japanese star.

However, as Yu Darvish proved years ago when he made the jump from NPB to MLB by signing with the Texas Rangers or more comparitively in this case when Shogo Akiyama signed a mutli-year deal with the Cincinnati Reds in 2020, the central United States can be an option if the right plan and contract is offered.

And it’s easy to see a world where the usual favorites like Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox would focus their efforts first on the seemingly more enticing name in Murakami, giving other teams the opportunity to explore Okamoto’s market more extensively before the heavy hitters do if they feel there’s no chance of them landing Murakami.

The fit may look awkward and Kansas City might not exactly be the first destination many will think of first when it comes to predicting Okamoto’s market. But when a bat like that comes on the market, it’s easy to see the upside he could provide and there could definitely be a path with the Royals if there’s a mutual desire.