The possibility of the White Sox signing Japanese superstar Munetaka Murakami is picking up momentum.
When Murakami was posted, the White Sox were not among the teams mentioned as a possible landing spot
for the “Japanese Babe Ruth.” The belief was that he would prefer to sign with a contender, and he would command a deal that could reach as rich as $225 million.
That type of deal easily would have made him too expensive for Chicago since this organization has yet to hand out a contract of even $100 million — the going rate for premium talent.
There are indications that his Murakami’s price is coming down. That could provide an opening for the White Sox to swoop in and sign a power-hitting corner infielder this rebuild desperately needs.
Murakami potentially signing with the Pale Hose originated as a suggestion by former baseball executives Jim Bowden and Jim Duquette on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM:
It then moved to a prediction by ESPN’s David Schoenfield when he figured the White Sox have the payroll space to fit Murakami’s bat into the lineup. He also cited ESPN’s projected affordable price of five years, $80 million, as why the South Siders could easily afford him.
Murakami’s deadline to sign is Dec. 22, so we’re running out of time. His market still seems wide open. The Phillies could also be an interesting fit, or maybe the Los Angeles Angels want to do something. Indeed, if any of these top 10 free agents land in a surprising spot, Murakami might be the one. The White Sox have money to spend — their current estimated payroll is just $68 million and that includes $20 million for Luis Robert Jr., who might be traded. They have a desperate need for power and Murakami fits at either third or first, depending on where Miguel Vargas ends up. This would be a nice roll of the dice for a White Sox team that looks to be on the rise.
Now, you have local verification that Murakami to the White Sox goes beyond just a mere suggestion or a guess from the national media: 670theScore’s baseball insider Bruce Levine revealed on his Saturday morning radio show that the White Sox should not be ruled out for Murakami’s services.
If the White Sox can pull off this stunning signing, it would be a massive move forward for the rebuild. It would easily make up for an offseason of minor additions when the market had potential rebuild-accelerating options. The front office never made any effort to enter the Pete Alonso or Kyle Schwarber market; imagine either of those two at Guaranteed Rate field hitting home runs.
The Sox can still get that type of power — if they can add Murakami.
One baseball executive believes Murakami has 90-grade raw power. That is off the charts, given that the scout rating scale only goes up to 80. Murakami set the Nippon Professional Baseball single-season record for home runs with 56 in 2022. He also had a .710 slugging percentage for the Yakult Swallows that year.
An injury in 2025 limited him to just 56 games, and he still crushed 22 dingers. That would have tied him with Lenyn Sosa for the White Sox team lead. Murakami has a career .951 OPS in eight NPB seasons.
This could also open Japan back up to the White Sox as a talent pipeline. They’ve used it in the past, bringing over veteran closer Shingo Takatsu and even more notably to get World Series hero Tadahito Iguchi, but the organization has abandoned the Pacific Rim since then. Japan is still a great talent market to acquire plug-and-play guys. That is why it is important to tap back into that area to find roster upgrades.
Murakami would be more than an upgrade. He could potentially be this rebuild’s version of José Abreu. He is an accomplished international star player and would be joining the organization during his peak performance years because he will be just 26 next season.
The major concern with his game is his ability to make contact against MLB pitching. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand sums up the flaws that are causing teams to be hesitant in making a huge financial commitment to a player who has never stepped into an MLB batter’s box:
If there’s a potential red flag for major league teams, it’s Murakami’s strikeout rate, which has risen significantly over the past three seasons. He whiffed in more than 30 percent of his at-bats during his first two seasons, but he lowered that rate between 20.9 and 22.3 percent from 2020-22. The past three seasons, that rate has increased again between 28.1 and 29.5 percent, including 180 strikeouts in 610 plate appearances in 2024.
Also of concern is Murakami’s walk rate, which has dipped from a career-high 19.3 percent in his monster 2022 season to 14.3 percent this past year. Murakami owns a .394 career on-base percentage, though it has decreased into the .370s in each of the past three seasons after he posted numbers between .408 and .458 from 2020-22.
White Sox general manager Chris Getz keeps touting that this organization can afford to give talented (but flawed) players a runway. Wins and losses still will not matter in 2026, so the franchise can easily afford Murakami a stress-free environment to adapt to the big-league game.
That is why if the price to sign him is around $80 million or less, the South Siders should take the gamble. The payoff could be having another potential MVP bat in the lineup through the rest of the decade.
