Well, how about that! The Chicago White Sox are rolling the dice on Munetaka Murakami, the 25-year-old free agent slugger from Japan who set the NPB record for most homers by a Japanese-born player in a single season (56).
I’m no fan of the White Sox, but I really love this move for them.
White Sox Sign Munetaka Murakami
For one, they’re limiting their risk quite a bit by handing him just a two-year, $34 million deal. Sure, that means they’re capping their upside, too, but I think it was the smarter play. Remember, when Murakami’s posting window first opened up, most projections had him at something north of $150M. But as the winter dragged on without any notable suitors or rumors, it became apparent that the industry was very concerned about his significant swing-and-miss issues (to say nothing of his positional/defensive limitations).
Offensively, the upside is as great as it gets for a slugger, but the downside is a 35-40% strikeout rate that completely neuters whatever production he can deliver.
But still, for a team like the White Sox, rolling the dice on a potential big winner is the right idea.
In the meantime, the White Sox make their biggest free agent move in years. Murakami, Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, Edgar Quero, Miguel Vargas — Chicago has a lot of young, interesting talent. And the upside for Murakami is enormous. A savvy move to get two prime years.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 21, 2025Meanwhile, Murakami will get a chance to demonstrate to the league that he can hack it in The Show. And if he does, he’ll get absolutely PAID as a 27-year-old free agent in a couple of years. It really is a win-win.
In theory, the Cubs were said to be considering Munetaka Murakami, but he never made sense because of his perceived inability to play third base (and the presence of established players at first and DH). Because of that – and the fact that he had an artificial signing deadline tomorrow – I don’t necessarily think this will spur activity for the Cubs or the league.
Anyway, good for the White Sox. This is an exciting play for them. I kind of can’t wait to see what this guy is capable of doing in the big leagues.
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