With infielder Kazuma Okamoto expected at the Blue Jays facility on Friday, Schneider was asked if the slugger’s plane had already landed in Canada, as reported by MLB.com Blue Jays reporter Keegan Matheson.
Schneider would only confirm that Okamoto was expected to be at the facility that afternoon, and had good reason to refrain from making absolute proclamations.
Advertisement
“All I know is that I’m expected to be here in the building at 4:00,” he said. “The last time I tracked a flight, it wasn’t very good for me.”
Schneider was referencing the tumultuous signing of Ohtani, who was rumored to be on a private jet from Santa Ana to Toronto, generating widespread public interest ahead of his eventual deal with the Dodgers.
The real occupants of the plane were Robert Herjavec of “Shark Tank” and his children, although many believed that it was actually Ohtani who came to sign with the Blue Jays.
Despite some evidence to the contrary, Jays fans’ wishful thinking seemed to be the predominant narrative, apparently even attracting Schneider’s attention.
Advertisement
The Blue Jays have landed this Japanese star
This time, however, things seem more certain.
January 6, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Toronto Blue Jays Kazuma Okamoto speaks to the media during the press conference at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Okamoto has already signed his four-year contract, a $60 million deal that includes a $5 million signing bonus.
With Bo Bichette on the New York Mets, the Blue Jays hope Okamoto will contribute at the plate.
“One of the top Japanese free agents available this offseason, along with Tatsuya Imai and Munetaka Murakami, Okamoto, 29, has long been a star for the Yomiuri Giants and brings an immediate offensive upgrade to the Blue Jays lineup,” Matheson wrote on MLB.com.
Okamoto has hit 248 home runs in his 11 seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball and has scored 717 runs.
Advertisement
Last year, he hit .327 with 15 home runs and 49 RBIs in 69 games in an injury-shortened season.
He was sidelined for more than three months with a left elbow injury.