Munetaka Murakami set to be next great Japanese star in MLB

Japanese third baseman Munetaka Murakami. Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Why Munetaka Murakami is expected to be the next great Japanese star in MLB

By Mike J. Asti | Last updated Nov 7, 2025 4:24 PM ET

A new Japanese superstar is about to take Major League Baseball by storm. On Friday, it was announced that the Tokyo Yakult Swallows will post infielder Munetaka Murakami, who will have 45 days starting on Saturday to reach an agreement with an MLB team.

Many of the usual big-market suspects — the back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, the Boston Red Sox, New York Mets and New York Yankees — are expected to bid on Murankami. The Seattle Mariners are also considered a dark-horse candidate.

While no player is guaranteed success transitioning from another league to MLB, Murakami's career resume speaks for itself and makes him one of the most attractive free agents available this winter.

3B/1B Munetaka Murakami will be posted today by the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of the Nippon Professional Baseball League per multiple reports including MLB's @Feinsand. All 30 MLB Clubs will have 45 days to negotiate with Murakami.

The 25-year-old slugger was the Central League's… pic.twitter.com/AnPj8TpiC2
— MLB (@MLB) November 7, 2025

Murakami boasts a career .273/.394/.550 slash line with 265 home runs and 722 RBI across eight foreign seasons, playing third and first base.

The Nippon Professional Baseball League (NPB) is considered Japan's top professional baseball league. Murankami hit 246 of his total home runs and drove in 647 runs over 892 games in the NPB. He achieved a Triple Crown season in 2022 and was named Central League Rookie of the Year in 2019, as well as MVP in 2021 and 2022.

MLB fans might remember Murakami as a key part of Japan's 2023 World Baseball Classic championship team.

Munetaka Murikami is bringing a STACKED resume over from NPB https://t.co/IPW2EhXRvZ pic.twitter.com/tJH1CrH4vf
— MLB (@MLB) November 7, 2025

Two questions now loom over the transition of the latest Japanese sensation to MLB. Who will win the Murakami sweepstakes? And once he's in America, will Murakami become part of the long list of Japanese natives who have made their mark in MLB history?

Just in this century alone, the top players who have found success in MLB after coming from Japan include Mariners legend and Baseball Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki, former Yankees designated hitter and 2009 World Series MVP Hideki Matsui, Dodgers' 2025 World Series hero Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Shohei Ohtani, who excels as both a hitter and pitcher. Ohtani's impressive career already has some calling him the greatest player of all time.

Will Murakami join the greats someday? His choice of team could be the key. The 25-year-old has until 5 p.m. ET on Dec. 22 to decide his MLB future.

Mike J. Asti

Mike Asti is an experienced media personality and journalist with a vast resume and skillset, most notably from time with TribLIVE Radio and WPXI-TV. Asti now serves as the Managing Editor of WV Sports Now, where he leads the coverage of WVU sports. He has also covered the Steelers, Penguins, Pirates and other teams within the Pittsburgh market

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