Blue Jays Signing of Kazuma Okamoto Creates Serious Lineup Questions

In the aftermath of the Kazuma Okamoto signing, the Toronto Blue Jays must navigate through some tough lineup decisions.

Toronto Blue Jays President and CEO Mark Shapiro (left) and Executive Vice President, Baseball Operations and General Manager Ross Atkins (right) | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

After falling just two outs short of a World Series trophy last season, the Toronto Blue Jays have spent the offseason demonstrating that they are not content with merely maintaining the status quo and have engaged in an all-out offseason spending blitz to best ensure they don't fall short again.

While many clubs are taking a fiscally conservative approach this winter, the Blue Jays have already committed $337 million in order to add the likes of Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce, Tyler Rogers and, most recently, Kazuma Okamoto. And there may still be more to come.

This aggressive offseason approach from Toronto's front office comes with a cost, however - and not just for Edward Rogers and the club's ownership. There are still only nine spots in a batting order and nine positions on the diamond, and some of the Blue Jays' holdovers could feel the crunch of incorporating Okamoto into both the lineup and, ostensibly, at third base.

Any crunch that may be felt in Toronto becomes that much more evident if the organization can still somehow find a way to retain Bo Bichette and or sign Kyle Tucker. As Zion Trammell explored last week, the Blue Jays possessed an awfully potent lineup even before Okamoto signed. It could soon be an embarrassment of riches.

Let's break down what the team's lineup could look like amidst each scenario related to the aforementioned free agents and examine whether their offseason bonanza could turn into too much of a good thing.

Scenario #1: Blue Jays Don't Sign Bichette or Tucker

Lineup
1. George Springer (DH)
2. Nathan Lukes (LF)
3. Vladimir Guererro Jr. (1B)
4. Daulton Varsho (CF)
5. Kazuma Okamoto (3B)
6. Alejandro Kirk (C)
7. Addison Barger (RF)
8. Ernie Clement (2B)
9. Andres Gimenez (SS)

While it would hurt to lose Bichette and miss out on Tucker, there is comfort to be had in knowing that the club still boasts a pretty good lineup. Provided Okamoto can make the offensive transition from Japan, he would help replace some of the outgoing 27-year-old infielder's offense. Toronto would also retain some bench depth with the likes of Anthony Santander, Myles Straw and Davis Schneider under contract.

To be clear, though, this would be an undesirable scenario for the Blue Jays. Not only would it kill some of the momentum they've built up amidst a successful offseason to date, but it would take some of the shine off a franchise now being looked at as a big spender and World Series contender.

Scenario #2: Blue Jays Sign Bichette, Don't Sign Tucker

Lineup
1. George Springer (DH)
2. Nathan Lukes (LF)
3. Vladimir Guererro Jr. (1B)
4. Bo Bichette (SS)
5. Daulton Varsho (CF)
6. Kazuma Okamoto (3B)
7. Alejandro Kirk (C)
8. Addison Barger (RF)
9. Andres Gimenez (2B)

Under this scenario, Toronto returns one fan favorite, albeit potentially at the expense of another one. Bringing Bichette back would be a coup, but it would be unclear what that would mean for Ernie Clement, who seems to be overqualified as a bench option after setting a postseason hits record last fall.

The other complicating factor related to a Bichette return is defensive positioning. Would the homegrown star go back to his familiar shortstop position, or would he continue to occupy second base, as he did in the World Series?

Scenario #3: Blue Jays Sign Bichette and Tucker

Lineup
1. George Springer (DH)
2. Bo Bichette (SS)
3. Vladimir Guererro Jr. (1B)
4. Kyle Tucker (RF)
5. Daulton Varsho (CF)
6. Kazuma Okamoto (3B)
7. Nathan Lukes (LF)
8. Alejandro Kirk (C)
9. Andres Gimenez (2B)

Sure, it seems wild to think that the Blue Jays could still land two of the top free agent position players on the market after what they've already done, but is it really outside the realm of possibility? MLB.com's Keegan Matheson has already noted that the addition of Okamoto does not necessarily rule Toronto out of a pursuit of either Bichette or Tucker.

There would almost certainly be some collateral damage. Such a scenario would likely spell the end of the tenures of several Blue Jays, with the futures of Clement and Addison Barger being the biggest questions. And for as much as signing both stars would require Rogers to open their cheque book to an unprecedented extent, they may not have the appetite to pay Santander nearly $12 million to be a sparsely used bench player.

Toronto's front office has made it clear that they aren't taking anything for granted in their pursuit of a World Series trophy. Far from simply running it back, team president Mark Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins have set out to upgrade across the roster and may not yet be done. What that means for the holdover players who contributed to the 2025 World Series run remains to be seen.