Yet another corner infielder comes off the board. This time it’s Kazuma Okamoto, formerly of Bobby Dalbec’s Yomiuri Giants, who reached a four-year/$60 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. I won’t pretend to know how good Okamoto will be stateside — and you should be suspicious of anyone who insists they do. But this move might have some important implications for the Red Sox, as the Jays are (were?) a potential destination for both Alex Bregman and Bo Bichette. (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)
But even if the Okamoto acquisition puts the Jays out the of Alex Bregman market, that doesn’t mean other teams couldn’t enter it. Here’s one scenario that posits that the Phillies could get involved with Bregman if they fail to resign catcher JT Realmuto. (Scott Lauber, Philadelphia Inquirer)
One team that was also in on Okamoto was the Pittsburgh Pirates, who have been unexpectedly active this offseason. Could Ben Cherington pull off a surprise trade involving the Red Sox? Here’s one writer identifying the Bucs as the best trading partners for a potential Jarren Duran deal. (Tim Kelly, Bleacher Report)
So with the Jays adding Okamoto on top of their recent acquisition of Dylan Cease, how is the AL East looking halfway through the offseason? (Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald)
As neither Bregman nor Bichette are currently signed, neither one of them cracked this list of the 20 most important people in the Red Sox organization, which was topped by Garrett Crochet and Roman Anthony. Where would you slot Bregman if he does end up coming back? (Pete Abraham, Boston Globe)
Marcelo Mayer landed on that list at number 17. But even when he’s not on the field he’s showing his importance in unique ways. Case in point: he’s officially changing his jersey number to 11, thereby enabling Sox fans to reuse their old Rafael Devers jerseys and keeping them out of the Great Pacific Trash Island. (Hayden Bird, Boston.com)
