The Baseball Buffet for 1/4/2026

TOR signs 3B/1B Kazuma Okamoto. According to an article by Keegan Matheson at MLB, the Blue Jays are signing Japanese star Kazuma Okamoto to a 4-year deal for $60 million. As with Houston’s recent signing of pitcher Tatsuya Imai, Okamoto’s 45-day negotiating window was nearing an end, so the timing of him finally reaching a deal was not a surprise. But which team he would be joining had not been clear, and it is interesting the Blue Jays won out, as this is now the fourth multi-year free agent signing they’ve done this offseason (the other three were pitchers Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce, and Tyler Rogers.)

Okamoto is 29-years old and has mostly played 3B and 1B in Japan, hitting 25+ HR seven times with highs of 39 HR in 2021 and 41 HR in 2023. In 2025 he was limited to 69 games due to a left elbow injury, but when playing hit .327 with a .416 OBP, 15 HR and 49 RBI.

With Vlad Guerrero Jr. at 1B, presumably the idea is to play Okamoto at 3B. This will mean Addison Barger will see more time in RF than 3B, and versatile Ernie Clement will play at 2B and SS, with the ability to give Okamoto a rest at 3B and Guerrero Jr. a rest at 1B too. Although not household names, fans will remember both of them from the 2025 postseason, as Barger hit .480 in 25 World Series at-bats, and Clement broke the record for the most hits in a single postseason with 30.

SP Tom Glavine - Braves (1987-2002, 2008), Mets (2003-07)

SP Jack Morris - Tigers (1977-90) and three other clubs

SP Andy Messersmith - Angels (1968-72), Dodgers (73-75, 79), Yankees (1978)

SP Johnny Cueto - Reds (2008-15), Giants (2016-21), and three other clubs

2B Howie Kendrick - Angels (2006-14) and three other clubs

SP Bruce Hurst - Red Sox (1980-88), Padres (1989-93) and two other clubs

RP Jesse Orosco - Mets (1979-87) and seven other clubs

RP Rod Beck - Giants 1992-97), Cubs (1998-99), Red Sox (1999-2001)

1942: Rogers Hornsby is elected to the Hall of Fame. “Rogers Hornsby becomes the 14th player selected to the Hall of Fame, getting 78 percent of the vote, while both Frank Chance (58%) and Rube Waddell (54%) miss out. Hornsby's offensive numbers rival those of any player before or since. He and Ted Williams are the only players to win the Triple Crown twice, and Hornsby's .424 mark in 1924 is the highest National League batting average in the 20th century.”

1957: The Dodgers buy a team plane. “The Brooklyn Dodgers buy a 44-passenger twin-engine airplane for $775,000, which they will use to transport the club during the season. The Dodgers are the first major league team to own their own plane.”

2005: Wade Boggs and Ryne Sandberg are elected to the Hall of Fame. “Wade Boggs, a five-time batting champion, and Ryne Sandberg, a nine-time Gold Glove Award winner at second base, are elected to the Hall of Fame. Boggs becomes the 41st player elected to Cooperstown in his first year of eligibility, while receiving 474 of the record number of 516 votes cast (92%). Sandberg receives 393 votes, six more that the needed number. Relief pitchers Bruce Sutter (66.7%) and Goose Gossage (55%), and outfielders Jim Rice (59.5%) and Andre Dawson (52%), are the only other players to be named on at least half of the ballots cast. All four will be voted in over the next five years.”

First-round draft pick (2nd overall) in 2013 by the Cubs

So far has played 11 years in the major leagues, first with the Cubs, then part of a season with the Giants, and then the past four injury-plagued seasons for the Rockies

Won the NL Rookie of the Year Award in 2015 after batting .275 with 26 HR and 99 RBI

Won the NL MVP Award in 2016 after batting .292 with 39 HR, 102 RBI, and an NL-leading 121 runs

Four-time All-Star, has had 25+ HR five times, but injuries have dramatically limited his performance and his playing time since 2022

Started out primarily as a 3B but later switched to mostly playing the OF

Overall so far has 184 HR, a .273/.368/.483 slash line, and a 124 OPS+

So far has had an 11-year major league pitching career, playing for the Reds, Angels, and Braves

Was a starting pitcher during his rookie season in 2015, but has been a reliever since then, usually a closer

Has had 25+ saves seven times

Overall has 253 saves, 869 K in 736 IP, a 2.90 ERA, and a 148 ERA+

15-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1999-2013, playing for six different clubs

Two-time All-Star, including in 2004 for the Blue Jays and in 2009 for the Cubs

A left-handed pitcher, he won 10-17 games in nine seasons

Overall had a 130-113 (.535) record, a 4.14 ERA, and a 106 ERA+

18-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1957-1974, playing for seven different clubs

Was a reliever for is entire career, with 10+ saves seven times, with a high of 19 saves in 1970 for the Giants

Had an impressive 1.69 ERA in 79.2 IP in 1962 while pitching mostly for Houston. Had a 1.98 ERA in 1967 over 109.1 IP pitching for the Red Sox and White Sox, and had a 1.98 ERA again in 1968, pitching 81.2 IP for the White Sox and Tigers

Overall had 152 saves, a 2.96 ERA, and a 120 ERA+

9-year major league career, spanning from 1934-1942, all with the Yankees

Played a mix of RF and LF, and was a two-time All-Star, including in 1936 when he hit .308 with 18 HR and 107 RBI, and in 1939 when he batted .306 with 21 HR and 101 RBI

His numbers declined in 1941 and 1942, and then his career ended when he served in the military in World War II

After the War, he managed for several years and at several levels in the minor leagues

Nicknamed "Twinkletoes" for his distinctive way of running on the balls of his feat

Born in Huntsville, Ontario in Canada, he was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983

Overall had a .290/.400/.483 slash line and a 127 OPS+

33.4% - Salvador Perez

32.1% - James McCann

31.8% - J.T. Realmuto

30.4% - Tucker Barnhart

30.1% - Christian Vázquez

Despite Year 1 setbacks, these 9 FA deals could still pay off, by Thomas Harrigan, 1/3/2026

Who will be the next Springer? 8 players who fit mold for '26 turnaround, by Travis Sawchik at MLB, 1/1/2026

Could Freddie Freeman be the next member of 3,000-hit club?, by Jason Foster at MLB, 1/3/2026