The White Sox strengthened their lineup with a slugger whose price tag was cheaper than most anticipated
The White Sox strengthened their lineup by signing Japanese star Munetaka Murakami, 25. Murakami’s market fell behind where many expected it to land, and the White Sox snagged him with a two-year, $34 million deal.
Murakami is an incredibly feared hitter, as he slashed .273/.394/.550 across eight seasons in Japan. In addition, the NPB has been a very unfavorable environment for hitters in recent years, so Murakami’s numbers allow him to stand out from the crowd even more than they usually would. In the past five years, Murakami’s wRC+ marks have been the following (starting from 2021): 166, 225, 154, 156, and 211 (although he only played 56 games in 2025 due to an oblique injury). In other words, Murakami has been completely dominant at the plate.
Murakami made his NPB debut at the age of 18 in 2018, and he wasted no time before making an impact. In fact, Murakami homered in his very first plate appearance at Japan’s highest level. Murakami consistently provided a massive bat in the Yakult Swallows’ lineup, and he played an integral role in their Japan Series title in 2021. That marked Yakult’s first Japan Series victory in 20 years.
Murakami had a historically great season in 2022, posting a 225 wRC+ and winning the Triple Crown with a .318 average, 56 homers, and 134 RBIs. With that accomplishment, Murakami became the first NPB offensive player to win the Triple Crown since 2004.
The talented infielder is primarily a third baseman, playing 696 games there across eight seasons in the NPB. Murakami also has playing time at first base, playing 263 games there at Japan’s highest level.
Many had expected Murakami’s first MLB contract to be at least five years and worth a dollar amount that would stretch into nine-figure territory. On paper, this is a big-time bargain, so why did his market lag behind the original expectations? A few factors played into that, one of which is his strikeout rate. Despite his dominance, Murakami’s strikeout rate (28.6% in 2025, 29.5% in 2024, 28.1% in 2023) made many wonder how his skills will translate to MLB. There are also questions about Murakami’s ability to stick at third base, as his range and glove at the hot corner are generally viewed as below average. FanGraphs does not like Murakami’s field and speed tools, rating both of those at 30 (20=horrible, 50=MLB average, 80=elite). If Murakami is unable to get his defensive ability up to par, he will have to produce more at the plate to be a valuable part of the lineup.
Personally, despite the concerns, this is a move to be happy about. Regarding the concerns about Murakami’s defense, it is far from unprecedented for a batter to be valuable despite below average fielding (see Kyle Schwarber, an extreme example). Even if Murakami lands at first and strikes out a lot, he has plenty of upside. A 25-year-old with Murakami’s power falling into the South Siders’ price range is a blessing, and Murakami should find himself in the meat of the order immediately. The two-year window gives Murakami a good opportunity to prove that he is worth a big swing and that he can handle MLB pitching.
At two years for $34 million, the White Sox took a significant stride in the right direction by bringing in Murakami. Let’s keep it going.
Category: General Sports
