Blue Jays 2025 MLB free agent target: Munetaka Murakami

The first overseas player that was officially posted was Munetaka Murakami.

It’s been a long time since the Toronto Blue Jays had a true slugger in their lineup. Sure, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit 48 home runs during his MVP-calibre 2021 season, but he’s always been a hit-over-power type player, albeit with a ton of power, as he’s good enough to give the Jays around 30 home runs a season.

You’d have to go back to the mid-2010s to find the last time the Blue Jays had a bona fide slugger, back when the Jays had Edwin Encarnación, José Bautista, and Josh Donaldson in the lineup. The good news is that there is one available in free agency, as Murakami is the definition of a slugger.

Murakami had some impressive seasons from 2019-2021, but his 2022 season was a historic one. At the age of 22, the third baseman/first baseman slashed .318/.458/.710 with 56 home runs in 612 plate appearances, good enough for a 225 wRC+.

He hit an additional 64 home runs in 2023 and 2024, but his numbers declined across the board, especially his batting average, while his K% jumped up drastically. On Friday, Murakami was posted, giving MLB teams 45 days (Dec. 22) to sign him.

Let’s take a look at his 2025 numbers, as well as whether he’s a fit for the Blue Jays.

2025 Season Stats

Playing for the Yakult Swallows, Murakami hit the fewest home runs he’s hit in his career; granted, he missed time due to injury. Over 56 games, or 224 plate appearances, the third baseman/first baseman slashed .273/.379/.663 with 22 home runs, or just over a home run every 10 plate appearances.

One area of concern about the 26-year-old’s game is his struggle against pitches 93 mph or harder. In 2025, Murakami batted just .095 against pitches that fit that category, with underwhelming (albeit better) numbers when expanding the scope to his entire career.

Murakami also swings and misses, like a lot. Last season, the infielder finished with a 28.6 K% and a 36.7 whiff %. It was the fourth consecutive season that Murakami finished with a whiff rate above 34%, while he has a career strikeout rate of 25.9%. In that amazing 2022 season, Murakami finished with a 20.9 K%, nearly walking as much as he struck out, finishing with a 19.3 BB%.

As for his position, Murakami played 53 games at third base for 420 innings. He committed five errors. The 26-year-old only played 19 innings at first and hasn’t played more than 100 innings at the position since 2020. Interestingly, he also played a game in right field.

That said, the question is whether Murakami is a fit for the Blue Jays.

Does Murakami fit on the Blue Jays?

The Blue Jays have already been linked to Murakami, as Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith noted that they have interest in the 26-year-old slugger.

Of course, there are some problems. The Blue Jays got to Game 7 of the World Series because they took quality plate appearances and put the ball in play. With how much Murakami whiffs and strikes out, there is legitimately concern that his game won’t play well in the big leagues. Basically, the Jays would have to sacrifice balls in play for power, and there’s no promise he’ll perform the same in 2026 and beyond.

The other main concern is where he’ll play. Murakami is not a good defensive third baseman, and he’s heading toward mainly playing first base. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past year, the Blue Jays have Vladimir Guerrero Jr. under control for the next 14 seasons, and there’s no chance he moves to third base.

And forget floating the idea of Murakami filling in as the Blue Jays’ designated hitter. Next season, George Springer will fit that role, and when his contract ends after the 2026 season, Anthony Santander will slot into that role.

So, on top of Murakami’s game being the complete opposite of the Blue Jays’ hitting philosophy, he doesn’t really fit well in the Blue Jays’ lineup. The power is interesting, though.