Angels Miss Out on Okamoto, Who Might Play Third Base?

The Angels have a hole at third base and were linked to Kazuma Okamoto, but he will play for Toronto.

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. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Third base has been a hole in the Angels lineup for several years. Last year the team took a low cost flier on former top prospect Yoan Moncada and rotated a cast of players through the hot corner as Moncada missed extensive time due to injury. Coming into the off season adding a quality third baseman was an obvious need.

Japanese slugger Kazuma Okamoto was linked to the Angels in numerous media reports and the fit made sense for both sides. Okamoto has posted consistent offensive production across 11 NPB seasons and is only 29 years old. A career .277/.361/.521 hitter in just under 4500 plate appearances, Okamoto's presence in the Angels lineup would have been a welcome addition.

This morning Okamoto chose to sign with the defending American League champion Toronto Blue Jays for a very reasonable 4 years and $60 million. Perhaps he valued the opportunity to reach a World Series more than money, but that contract is slightly less than outlets predicted he would land.

So now who plays third base for the Angels in 2026?

Now that Okamoto is off the table along with fellow NPB third baseman Munetaka Murikami and Korean gold glover Song Sung-Mun, the obvious free agent targets are off the table. So now who can the Angels turn to for third base?

Nolan Arenado: The Angels are known to have interest in OC native Nolan Arenado. One of the best defenders to ever man the hot corner, Arenado will be 35 in April and has declined at the plate for 3 consecutive seasons. He is now a below average bat and owed $42 million for the next two years. The Cardinals would need to pay down the contract, but if you are looking for a typical Angels move this is it. Arenado has a bigger name value than on field value and the acquisition cost will be pretty low.

Sep 23, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) runs home after his solo home run against the San Francisco Giants during the seventh inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Eugenio Suarez: A bit of a longshot, Suarez would add a lot of thump to the Angels lineup. At this stage of his career the 33 year old might no longer be an every day third baseman but Team Arte has always loved to sign sluggers and Suarez is the biggest bat available at third base.

Yoan Moncada: If the team wishes to continue low cost stopgaps, Moncada could be brought back for a reunion. When healthy, he put up good power numbers and was 16% better than league average per OPS+. Moncada's defense was not up to snuff last season but he's been passable at third base most of his career.

Alec Bohm: Bohm is a solid player who may be without a home in Philadelphia. This is pure speculation, but if the Phillies add Bichette to their already powerful lineup they could dangle Bohm as a trade chip. Bohm is a pure rental estimated to make a little over $10 million in his last season of club control. The trade capital would not be too high and the salary is palatable. He's the least likely option on this list, but is on the periphery.

The other option might be to acquire another utility type player and have a fluid infield. Willi Castro is 28 years old, capable of playing all around the diamond and typically produces league average offense. The well known Luis Rengifo is a free agent coming off a really tough season and could be had cheaply.

However the Angels fill the hot corner, it will likely be a temporary arrangement as no long term solutions are evident on the free agent or trade market. How they fill that important position will go a long way towards predicting how the team might fare in 2026.