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Star Japanese slugger linked to four MLB teams

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated Aug 13, 2025 7:44 PM ET

Another Japanese star may make the jump to Major League Baseball this offseason, and four teams are being linked to him.

Slugging infielder Munetaka Murakami of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows is seen as likely to try to make the jump from Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball to MLB this offseason. Jon Heyman of the New York Post suggested that Murakami could be a fit for the Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, and Boston Red Sox.

Potential fits for Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami, per @JonHeyman:

Mariners, Dodgers, Mets, Red Sox pic.twitter.com/PDB1wOpXmb
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) August 13, 2025

Primarily a third baseman, Murakami has five 30-home run seasons in the NPB, including a 2022 season with 56 home runs. The 25-year-old could be a solution for teams looking for a long-term answer at third base this winter.

On Monday, Murakami smashed a walkoff home run for his team, with Mets team president David Stearns spotted in attendance.

Munetaka Murakami hit a walk-off home run last night and watched every second of it

The 25-year-old third baseman will be signed by an MLB team this offseasonpic.twitter.com/IgjL13DrvK
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 12, 2025