After Munetaka Murakami committed to the Chicago White Sox, will teams now shift their focus to Kazuma Okamoto?

The top Japanese slugger on the free agent market, Munetaka Murakami, has secured a two-year, $34 million contract with the Chicago White Sox, with only one day remaining before the 45-day negotiation period with Major League teams ends.

With Murakami’s signing finalized, teams may now turn their attention to another highly sought-after Japanese infielder on the free agent market — Kazuma Okamoto.

According to Chris Cotillo of MassLive, the Boston Red Sox have made “initial contact” with both Kazuma Okamoto and Munetaka Murakami. Earlier this month, MLB Network insider Jon Heyman wrote in the New York Post that the Toronto Blue Jays and Pittsburgh Pirates are also interested in the 29-year-old right-handed hitter.

Okamoto’s negotiation window remains open until 5 PM Eastern Time on January 4, so he still has time to make a decision. If no agreement is reached by then, he will return to the Yomiuri Giants in Nippon Professional Baseball for the upcoming season.

Compared to Murakami, who has a higher strikeout rate in his hitting approach, Okamoto is regarded as a more well-rounded batter. He also possesses strong power, having hit at least 30 home runs in six consecutive NPB seasons from 2018 to 2023. Although injuries limited him to 77 games last season, he still managed 15 home runs with an OPS of 0.992. Over his 11-year NPB career, Okamoto’s cumulative batting line stands at .277/.361/.521.