The Chicago White Sox have made a significant move in their ongoing team reconstruction, securing the services of Japanese power hitter Munetaka Murakami on a lucrative two-year contract.
Details of the Major League Deal
The agreement, confirmed on Sunday, is worth a total of $34 million over two seasons. Murakami, who will celebrate his 26th birthday on 2 February, receives a $1 million signing bonus payable within 30 days. His salaries are set at $16 million for the 2026 season and $17 million for 2027.
The contract includes performance-based escalators that could increase his 2027 earnings. He can earn an extra $1 million for winning an MVP award, $500,000 for finishing second or third in the MVP voting, $250,000 for placing fourth through tenth, and another $250,000 for winning Rookie of the Year.
As part of the terms, the White Sox cannot assign Murakami to the minor leagues without his consent. The deal also provides him with a team interpreter and flight reimbursement for travel between Japan and the United States. He will become a free agent upon the contract's conclusion.
Posting Fee and Murakami's Pedigree
Chicago will pay a posting fee of $6,575,000 to the Yakult Swallows, Murakami's former team in Japan's Central League. The Swallows are also entitled to 15% of any bonus escalators triggered by the player's performance.
Murakami joins a promising core of young hitters in Chicago, including Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, and Chase Meidroth. The White Sox, who finished last in the AL Central with a 60-102 record this past season, hope his bat will accelerate their recovery.
He becomes the fourth Japanese-born player to feature for the White Sox, following Shingo Takatsu (2004-05), Tadahito Iguchi (2005-07), and Kosuke Fukudome (2012). Notably, Takatsu once managed Murakami in Japan.
A Record-Breaking Career in Japan
Murakami's resume is impressive. The left-handed hitter was the Central League MVP in both 2021 and 2022. His 2022 campaign was historic, as he blasted 56 home runs to break the legendary Sadaharu Oh's single-season record for a Japanese-born player in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). That same year, he became the youngest player ever to win Japan's Triple Crown.
Before an oblique injury limited him to just 56 games in 2023, he had surpassed 30 homers in four consecutive seasons. In his eight-year career with the Swallows, he compiled a .270 average with 246 home runs and 647 RBIs across 892 games.
Murakami also shone on the international stage. At the 2023 World Baseball Classic, he delivered a game-ending double to beat Mexico in the semi-finals. In the championship game against the United States, he hit a tying home run, propelling Japan to a 3-2 victory.
The corner infielder, who has played both first and third base, is scheduled to be formally introduced at a press conference on Monday.
