Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Toronto Blue Jays welcomed Japanese infielder Kazuma Okamoto to the Spring Training camp after his $60 million deal with the team in January.

While Guerrero Jr. has established a strong bond with his infield partner over the last few weeks, the All-Star first baseman fired a warning shot during the Spring Training game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday.

During the broadcast, Guerrero Jr. said of the Japanese slugger:

“Now we’re teammates, but after Saturday, we’re enemies.”

The Blue Jays slugger’s comment was a reference to the upcoming World Baseball Classic, which kicks off next week. While Guerrero Jr. will lead the Dominican Republic in the tournament, Okamoto is set to feature for Team Japan.

Okamoto, a six-time NPB All-Star with the Yomiuri Giants, was posted by the team in the offseason. The former NPB star played a crucial role in Team Japan’s win over Team USA in the gold medal game in 2023. He scored two runs with a solo homer in a 3-2 win to clinch the 2023 WBC.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider praised Kazumo Okamoto’s attitude

Kazumo Okamoto spent 11 seasons with the Yomiuri Giants in the NPB. He batted .277 with 248 home runs, 717 RBIs and a .521 slugging percentage during his NPB career.

Okamoto is expected to fill the void left by Bo Bichette, who signed for the New York Mets in free agency last offseason. The Japanese slugger has been covering third base for the Blue Jays during Spring Training games.

He got off the mark for the Blue Jays after smashing a two-run home run in Toronto’s 4-3 loss against the New York Mets on Monday. Although Okamoto has had limited time with the team due to his departure for Team Japan’s WBC preparations, Blue Jays manager John Schneider praised the former NPB star.

“For us it hasn’t been really challenging,” Schneider said. “He’s been awesome. He really is receptive, and not afraid to ask questions, which we love.”

Okamoto will feature for the defending champion, who start the campaign with a game against Chinese Taipei at Tokyo Dome next week.