Phillies Could Be Poised to Finally Break Into Japanese Free Agent Market in Upcoming Offseason

The Philadelphia Phillies have been very open about their maintained desire to bring Japanese talent into the City of Brotherly Love, but have found incredibly slim success since the beginning of the 21st-century influx of NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball) players moving to the MLB.

Philadelphia has seen just two Japanese players don the red pinstripes, both of whom played over 15 years ago. Their first dip into the market was with second baseman Tadahito Iguchi, who joined the club following a July 27th, 2007 trade from the Chicago White Sox. he was an adequate player in the 45 contests he played in, later returning for just four games at the back end of the 2008 season after his release from the San Diego Padres. The second, outfielder So Taguchi, appeared in just 88 games for the team in a one-year, vastly unproductive stint after six seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals.

The NPB, which was previously quite guarded about allowing its players to be posted for MLB teams to sign, has become much more lenient in recent years, as seen with over a dozen Japanese-born players on active rosters. The increase in quantity is notable, but so is the quality. Los Angeles Dodgers two-way global superstar Shohei Ohtani is expected to win his fourth MVP award. Pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, both also Dodgers, have emerged as elite arms, and teams such as the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox are home to productive Japanese talent.

Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski's actions have made it abundantly clear that the club wants to add from the ever-growing market, but his efforts have been fruitless so far. Their largest attempt to date was reportedly offering Yamamoto the most money of any team during his posting period, a figure that, if true, surpassed $325 million in value.

Most of, if not all of, Philadelphia's struggles in obtaining Japanese players is strictly due to location. East Coast teams rarely see success in the Asian baseball landscape, for the simple reason that it is incredibly far from the players' homes. The Phillies finally signed their first free agent directly from the NPB in the 2025 offseason, inking pitcher Koyo Aoyagi to a Minor League deal. Unfortunately, persistent performance issues resulted in his release in July.

The Available Options

Falling in line with the recent trends, the 2026 offseason boasts another batch of impressive Japanese stars set to test the international waters and make the leap to MLB. None are expected to come close to Yamamoto's megadeal, but there are a handful of players set to join MLB franchises at a decent price.

1B/3B Munetaka Murakami

Easily the most well-known star expected to take his talents overseas, Murakami has been one of NPB's most vaunted sluggers since he entered the league. His impressive display of power took over the league and flashed on the biggest stage in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. The 25-year-old has over 250 career home runs in eight seasons, most recently posting a 1.051 OPS with 26 long balls in just 69 games in 2025. His main issues stem from defensive inconsistency and concerning whiff rates, especially against velocity, but he is still projected to receive a contract of upward of $200 million from a big market club.