🔗 Share this article

In a major move for their rebuilding roster, the American League club have welcomed slugger Munetaka Murakami, completing a two-year contract with the power-hitting player.

Deal Structure and Player Perks

The deal includes a $1 million signing bonus, issued within 30 days, alongside salaries of sixteen million for the next season and $17 million for the following year.

Notably, Murakami's final-year pay may grow based on award achievements in 2026:

• $1 million for earning the league MVP award.
• Half a million dollars for placing second or third in MVP voting.
• $250,000 for placing between fourth and tenth.
• Another $250,000 for earning the ROY honor.

The agreement includes that he cannot be assigned to the minor leagues without his permission and allows him to become a free agent at the end of the deal. Additional perks include a team-provided interpreter and flight reimbursement between Japan and the U.S..

Transfer Payment and Historical Context

As part of the acquisition, Chicago must pay a posting fee of over $6.5 million to the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, Murakami's former team in Japan's NPB. The Swallows get a 15% cut of fifteen percent triggered incentive payments.

Murakami joins the ranks as the fourth Japanese to play for the South Siders, joining reliever Shingo Takatsu (2004-05), second baseman Tadahito Iguchi (2005-07), and fielder Kosuke Fukudome (2012). Notably, Takatsu was a manager for Murakami while both were in Japan.

Career Highlights

Murakami, a left-handed hitter who turns 26 on February 2nd, bolsters a promising group of offensive players in Chicago that also features prospects like Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, and Chase Meidroth. The White Sox are coming off a 60-102 season, placing last in the AL Central but representing a significant improvement from the year before campaign.

The winner of back-to-back Central League MVP honors in consecutive seasons, Murakami made history with a monumental 2022 season where he hit 56 home runs, eclipsing the single-season record for a Japanese-born player previously held by icon Sadaharu Oh. That year also made him the youngest player ever to achieve Japan's prestigious Triple Crown.

His most recent NPB campaign was limited to a partial schedule due to an muscle issue. Even with recording 64 Ks, he batted .273 with 22 home runs and 47 runs batted in.

Over his eight-season tenure with the Swallows, Murakami has accumulated a .270 batting average with 246 homers, 647 RBIs, and 977 strikeouts in nearly 900 games. He started playing mostly at first, he has more recently played to third.

International Pedigree

Murakami's big-game performance were on global view during the last World Baseball Classic. In the semifinal against Mexico, he drove in a game-ending double that brought home Shohei Ohtani and Masataka Yoshida for a dramatic one-run win. The very next day in the title match against the Team USA, he slugged a tying home run in the early innings, setting the stage for Japan's 3-2 3-2 victory.

The power hitter is slated to be formally introduced at a press conference on Monday.