Tigers have no excuse not to go after Japanese free agent after contract prediction

Position players Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto as well as pitcher Tatsuya Imai are the three biggest free agents coming out of Japan this offseason, but Murakami is far and away the headliner. Despite the fact that he's experienced a lot of regression since his 2022 season (when he hit 56 home runs), he looks like he could be a Pete Alonso-esque bat in MLB if the right team can fix him up. He's also four years younger than Okamoto.

Murakami is a corner infielder but seems destined to become a full-time DH, which is basically a non-starter for the Tigers. Okamoto, while older, is a far more solid defensive player with most of his career innings logged at third base, a position the Tigers desperately need to fill. He's never reached quite the same peak offensively as Murakami, but he's been far more consistent over a longer period of time.

The Athletic published contract predictions from this offseason's top free agents, including Murakami and Okamoto. Aside from Murakami not fully fitting into the Tigers' probable goals for 2026, the eight years and $158.5 million prediction is likely money that they'd rather spend on Alex Bregman, if they're going to spend that much at all.

However, Okamoto's projected four years and $78.5 million is much more doable.

The Athletic's four-year, $78.5 million prediction for NPB star Kazuma Okamoto makes him a plausible Tigers candidate

Okamoto has spent time at first, third, and in the outfield throughout his 11 seasons in NPB, which could make him the perfect utility upgrade from Matt Vierling, who spent almost the entirety of 2025 on the IL. Okamoto was injured for about half of the 2025 season, but he hit .327 with a 1.014 OPS, 15 homers, and 49 RBI when he was healthy.

Four years and nearly $80 million would still be a huge leap of faith for the Tigers, especially with a relatively unknown quantity and a seemingly limited presence scouting presence in Japan. But the Tigers do have a short history of signing Japanese players (Hideo Nomo spent a mostly forgettable season with the Tigers in 2000, and we know how Kenta Maeda worked out) and need to do something substantial this offseason.

Okamoto's market is sure to still be fierce, even if not quite as Murakami's, but the Tigers should be in that fray if they want to upgrade their roster.