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Japanese HR king Munetaka Murakami signs with surprising team

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated Dec 21, 2025 10:35 AM ET

Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami has chosen his MLB team, and it is not one that many would have predicted.

Murakami, regarded as Japan’s home run king, is signing a 2-year, $34 million contract with the Chicago White Sox, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. The contract ensures that the 25-year-old will have the opportunity to enter free agency again in his prime.

Passan reported that questions about Murakami’s defense and strikeout rate somewhat depressed his market, and that he subsequently opted to take a short-term deal for more money instead of a longer deal worth less.

Concerns over Munetaka Murakami’s swing-and-miss tendencies and questions of his defensive position gave teams pause in their pursuit of him. Rather than sign a lower-dollar, longer-term deal, Murakami went short and will be a free agent at 27 with two years to allay the fears.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 21, 2025

There are no questions about Murakami’s ability to hit the ball very far when he does make contact. He hit a record-setting 56 home runs for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in 2022, and slugged 246 home runs over eight NPB seasons. A 26 percent strikeout rate, however, gave some teams pause, and his ability to play both first and third did not help his market as much as it seemed likely to.

Still, seeing Murakami pick the lowly White Sox counts as a major surprise considering some of the other teams that showed interest in him. Chicago is coming off a 60-102 season, but they are clearly hoping Murakami can help accelerate their rebuild.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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