This is the part of the offseason where the Seattle Mariners usually feel most comfortable. Close enough to the action to say they were involved. Far enough away to avoid committing to anything irreversible. It’s a familiar posture — cautious, calculated, and endlessly frustrating to a fanbase that knows exactly what this roster is missing.
But Kazuma Okamoto’s posting window is about to slam shut, and with it may go Seattle’s cleanest opportunity to add the kind of bat that actually changes the temperature of a lineup.
The deadline is no longer theoretical. Okamoto must be signed by Sunday, January 4 at 2 p.m. PT. After that, the door closes. No extensions. No second chances. And suddenly, the Mariners’ offseason narrative would feel painfully familiar once again.
So far, the smoke has been thin. There hasn’t been the usual flurry of signals that precedes a Jerry Dipoto strike. But MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand has included Seattle among the teams “connected” to Okamoto, alongside the Pirates, Red Sox, Padres, and Angels. Connected isn’t the same as front-runner — but it’s enough to matter. It’s enough to justify urgency.
And urgency is exactly what this moment demands.
Okamoto makes almost too much sense for Seattle to ignore. The Mariners don’t just need another hitter. They need a hitter who makes opposing pitchers care again. Someone who walks into the batter’s box and forces scouting reports to be rewritten. Someone whose presence alone alters how games are pitched at T-Mobile Park.
Power has been Seattle’s most persistent weakness, especially at home. Okamoto checks that box emphatically. He has 248 career home runs in NPB, is a six-time All-Star, and has posted a long stretch of 30-homer seasons. Even in an injury-limited 2025 season slowed by an elbow issue, he raked when he was on the field. This is not speculative upside. This is a proven power profile.
Then there’s the defensive versatility, which matters more than it might seem. Feinsand notes that Okamoto is viewed as a better defender than Munetaka Murakami and could realistically handle first base or third base in the majors. For a Mariners roster constantly trying to balance offense without lighting its defense on fire, that flexibility is invaluable.
The question fans immediately ask — because they’ve been trained to — is simple: Can the Mariners afford him?
The answer is uncomfortable in its clarity. Yes. Kind of.
Depending on which projection you trust, Seattle still has roughly $10–15 million in breathing room after the Josh Naylor contract. That’s not unlimited money, but it’s enough to chase one more impact bat if the organization actually wants to finish what it started this winter.
And here’s the key difference between Okamoto and other options: you’re not giving up talent to get him. No prospects. No roster reshuffling. No painful trade-offs. It’s just money and conviction — two resources the Mariners have historically treated like endangered species.
That’s why this moment feels so on-brand for Seattle. They can do it, which is precisely why fans are bracing for them to talk themselves out of it.
Yes, a reunion with Eugenio Suárez would be fun. It would be emotional. It would feel safe. It would also be a short-term patch for a player now 34 years old. Okamoto, meanwhile, is 29 — young enough to offer runway, old enough to fit squarely into a win-now window.
Of course, there are risks. Every NPB-to-MLB hitter carries them. Velocity. Adjustment periods. The unknown grind of a 162-game season. Analysts are right to flag those concerns.
But here’s the counterpoint Seattle must confront honestly: what is the alternative?
Another season hoping the lineup scrapes together enough runs while the pitching staff is asked to be nearly perfect? Another year targeting 88–92 wins and praying variance breaks the right way? That’s not caution. That’s inertia.
If you’re going to take a risk, take it on a player who can actually move the needle.
The Mariners like to say they’re serious about competing. This is what that looks like. Not flirting with the market. Not being “connected.” But crashing it — decisively, unapologetically, and on time.
Because once Sunday afternoon passes, the conversation ends. And if Seattle lets this window close without pushing the door open, the question won’t be whether Kazuma Okamoto was worth the risk.
It will be whether the Mariners truly meant it when they said they were ready to contend.
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