NPB slugger Munetaka Murakami signs with White Sox on two-year deal

Japanese third baseman Munetaka Murakami is joining the Chicago White Sox, the team announced Sunday. He arrives in the United States on a two-year contract worth $34 million, CBS Sports confirmed.

The $34 million contract fell well short of Murakami’s expectations, reflecting a weak market for his services. That’s significantly less than the $90 million contract the Boston Red Sox signed Masataka Yoshida three years ago, which remains the richest contract given to a Japanese player.

Murakami, 26 in February, has been the best power hitter in Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball in recent years, and that includes 22 home runs in 56 games around elbow surgery and an oblique strain in 2025. He averaged 42.6 homers per 162 games with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, who made him available to MLB teams via the posting system this winter.

We ranked Murakami as the seventh best free agent available this offseason. Here is the wording:

Murakami launched his name into orbit in 2022, when he hit 56 home runs to break Sadaharu Oh’s Nippon Professional Baseball single-season record for a player of Japanese descent. Obviously, he has elite strength. Sadly, the years that followed were not so kind. He swings and misses a ton, even inside the zone, and his strikeout rate has reached 28% three seasons in a row – NPB hasn’t seen the same fluctuation in K rate as MLB, making it one of the worst marks among regulars. Questions have long been asked about his viability at the hot corner, with first base emerging as his long-term home. Murakami’s power and youth (he turns 26 in February) will go a long way in making a team forgive these imperfections, with left-handed Eugenio Suárez being a good result here.

Because he’s 25, Murakami was able to sign a contract of any size this offseason, like Yoshinobu Yamamoto two years ago. Players under the age of 25 are subject to international baseball bonuses, which significantly limits their earning potential. Roki Sasaki came to MLB through this process last offseason and signed a minor league contract with a $6.5 million signing bonus.

The White Sox owe the Swallows a posting fee for signing Murakami. Here is the publication fee structure:

• Contract worth less than $25 million: 20% of the contract value
• Contract worth $25 million to $50 million: $5 million plus 17.5% of the amount over $25 million
• A contract worth more than $50 million: $9.275 million plus 15% of the amount over $50 million

That brings Murakami’s publishing fee to just over $6.5 million.

Here are three other things to know about Murakami’s signing.

1. Market limited by translation issues

As noted above, Murakami’s game had some major flaws, including his strikeout rate and lack of true defensive stance. He is expected to play first base for the White Sox, but that doesn’t eliminate the hit tool issues.

For perspective, consider that Murakami had struck out at least 28% of the time in three straight seasons. Here’s how some other recent NPB hitters saw their K rates perform post-transfer:

Everyone except Ohtani, the final exception, gained at least 1.5 percentage points. If Murakami follows suit, he’ll have a 30% strikeout rate in 2026. Only a handful of qualified MLB hitters hit that often last season, with two of the five finishing below the league’s offensive average. Given Murakami’s lack of speed and defense, his power will need to be carried — and immediately — for him to provide value.

2. The White Sox have a risky and intriguing infield

With Murakami now slotted at first base, the White Sox plan to run an infield that also includes shortstop Colson Montgomery, third baseman Miguel Vargas and a combination of Chase Meidroth and Lenyn Sosa at second.

Depending on how Murakami’s bat plays in MLB, the White Sox infield could feature several players capable of hitting 20-plus homers — Montgomery and Sosa both crossed that mark last season, and Vargas came close.

Of course, this group is also very prone to strikeouts, but these White Sox should be a far cry from 2023, where they received fewer than 10 combined home runs from their primary double play combination.

3. Other top Japanese free agents remain in play

Although Murakami is now considered, other intriguing NPB transfers are still in play. Among them: right-hander Tatsuya Imai and infielder Kazuma Okamoto.

Imai, ranked by CBS Sports as the 12th best free agent, has until Jan. 2 to sign a contract. He is considered one of the best right-handed starters on the market thanks to his mid-90s fastball and unusual slider. He has struggled with his command in the past, however, which is something teams will need to be aware of when committing to him long-term.

Okamoto, CBS Sports’ No. 22 free agent, is older and less famous than Murakami. He might end up outperforming him, at least early in their careers, because he doesn’t present the same level of risk when hitting. Okamoto has until January 4 to reach a deal.