After official posting, Munetaka Murakami will become a MLB free agent. (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)
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Brace yourself, the Munetaka Murakami sweepstakes are about to begin.
The slugging third baseman known as “The Japanese Babe Ruth” has entered the posting system Friday, kicking off one of the most-hyped MLB free agencies of the off-season, according to ESPN sources.
Murakami’s 45-day window to ink a deal will start at 8 a.m. ET Saturday, sources said, guaranteeing he’ll sign with a big league club before it expires at 5 p.m. on Dec. 22. Over that timespan, several MLB teams, including the world champion Dodgers, are expected to pursue Murakami, who’s launched 246 home runs over eight seasons for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. Murakami, 25, holds the single-season homer record for a Japanese player in Nippon Professional Baseball, hitting 56 in 2022 to break Sadaharu Oh’s 58-year-old record of 55.
It’s that big-time power that makes Murakami so tantalizing to MLB teams. Check out this rocket launcher:
Sources said high-ranking MLB executives “emerged impressed” after scouting multiple games of Murakami this season. “He has legit power,” said one scout via mlb.com. “It should translate to the Majors.”
But Murakami’s game isn’t without holes. His strikeout rate has eclipsed 28% three seasons in a row in the NPB and that rate is predicted to climb in the MLB. Another concern is Murakami’s walk rate that’s dropped from a career-high 19.3 percent in 2022 to 14.3 percent this past year. And defensively, he’s considered mediocre at best and looks destined to shift from third to first base or maybe even DH.
Nevertheless, Murakami is widely expected to nab a nine-figure deal from an MLB team that must pay a posting fee of at least $16.9 million to the Swallows. The richest MLB deal given to a position player coming from Japan is the five-year, $90 million contract Masataka Yoshida inked with the Red Sox three years ago. Murakami should easily exceed that.
According to a variety of reports, the Yankees, Mets and Mariners, in addition to the Dodgers, look like the frontrunners to land Murakami. CBS Sports said the Blue Jays, Cubs, Giants, Padres, Rangers and Tigers “should not be ruled out either.” Bleacher Report expects the Angels and Phillies to make a run at the Japanese slugger.
MLB writer Mark Feinsand said Murakami “offers a number of possibilities for the Phillies, who may lose Kyle Schwarber and his 56 homers to free agency.”
At this point, it’s just a guess at who will win the Murakami sweepstakes but whoever does will pay north of $100 million.
