Pirates Targeting Japanese Star Sluggers

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates desperately need better bats in their lineup next season and are looking outside the United States for exactly that.

Pirates Targeting Japanese Star Sluggers

Jeff Passan of ESPN reported that the Pirates are a team that are targeting both Japanese stars in Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto.

The two players are the highest rated players out of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), the Japanese professional baseball league and have many suitors, including the Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets and Texas Rangers.

Why the Pirates Would Benefit From Signing Murakami or Okamoto

Both Murakami and Okamoto are incredible hitters and the Pirates, who are pushing towards competing in 2026, are looking as options to better their lineup.

The Pirates finished last in the MLB in home runs with 117 on the season and also with the least RBIs, with just 561. They also posted the worst slugging percentage (.350) and OPS (.655) of any MLB team in 2025.

Murakami has only hit less than 20 home runs in just one of his eight seasons with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows and more than 30 in five of those seasons. He also hit 70 or more RBIs in all but one of those seasons too.

Okamoto has hit at least 30 home runs in a season six times and more than 25 home runs seven times in his career, with more than 80 RBIs in eight seasons with the Yomiuri Giants.

Both players are also third baseman, but could fit in at first base or even designated hitter.

The Pirates need an every day third baseman, after they traded Ke'Bryan Hayes to the Cincinnati Reds at the deadline, and don't have a designated hitter for next season, with Andrew McCutchen's future with the ball club not known.

Why MLB Teams Are Lining up For Murakami

Murakami turns 26 years old next season and the Swallows already posted him for MLB teams to sign on Nov. 8, with the bidding war already started.

He slashed .273/.394/.550 for an OPS of .945 in 1,003 games with the Swallows from 2018-25, with 960 hits, 170 doubles, five triples, 265 home runs, 722 RBIs and 678 walks to 1,068 strikeouts.

Murakami was the Central League Rookie of the Year in 2019, slashing .231/.332/.481 for an OPS of .814 in 143 games, with 118 hits, 20 doubles, 36 home runs, 96 RBIs and 74 walks to 184 strikeouts.

He dominated in 2021 with the Swallows, slashing .278/.408/.566 for an OPS of .974 in 143 games, with 139 hits, 27 doubles, 39 home runs, 112 RBIs and 106 walks to 133 strikeouts, garnering him MVP honors.

Murakami set the NPB record for the most home runs in a single season by a Japanese-born player with 56 home runs in 2022, breaking Sadaharu Oh's record of 55 home runs in 1964.

He also had a career-best slash line of .318/.458/.710 for an OPS of 1.168 in 141 games, with 155 hits, 21 doubles, a triple, 134 home runs and 118 walks to 128 strikeouts.

Murakami won the MVP unanimously and the Triple Crown as well, putting up one of the best seasons in NPB history.

He also had team success with the Swallows, winning the 2021 Japan Series in six games over the Orix Buffaloes and finishing as runners-up in 2022.

Murakami played with Team Japan in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, where he slashed .231/.364/.462 for an OPS of .826 in seven games, with six hits in 26 at-bats, three doubles, one home run, six RBIs and six walks to 13 strikeouts.

He hit a walk-off two-out double over Mexico in the Semifinal match and then hit a solo home run in the second inning of the Gold Medal match vs. USA, where Japan won 3-2.