🔗 Share this article

In a notable move for their rebuilding roster, the South Side team have officially added Japanese star Munetaka Murakami, agreeing to a lucrative contract bringing in the accomplished player.

Deal Structure and Added Benefits

The deal features a seven-figure signing bonus, payable within 30 days, combined with annual pay of $16M for the 2026 season and seventeen million for the following year.

Notably, Murakami's 2027 salary may grow based on performance achievements in 2026:

• $1 million for winning the MVP award.
• $500,000 for placing as runner-up or in third place in MVP voting.
• A quarter-million for finishing between fourth and tenth.
• An identical bonus for winning the ROY honor.

The agreement includes that he will not be optioned to the minors without his permission and grants him a free agent at the conclusion of the deal. Extra provisions include a club-supplied interpreter and travel costs between Japan and the U.S..

Transfer Payment and Historical Context

As part of the signing, Chicago is obligated to provide a posting fee of over $6.5 million to the Yakult Swallows, Murakami's former team in Japan's NPB. The Yakult organization would also receive a 15% cut of any triggered performance bonuses.

Murakami joins the ranks as the fourth Japanese to suit up for the South Siders, following pitcher Shingo Takatsu (2004-05), second baseman Tadahito Iguchi (2005-07), and outfielder Kosuke Fukudome (2012). Notably, Takatsu once managed Murakami back in Japan.

Career Highlights

Murakami, a left-handed hitter who will turn 26 in February, enters a young group of offensive players in Chicago that includes prospects like Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, and Chase Meidroth. The team are coming off a difficult season, finishing at the bottom in the American League Central but showing a notable improvement from the prior campaign.

A two-time Most Valuable Player honors in '21 and '22, Murakami is famous for a record-breaking 2022 season where he belted 56 HRs, eclipsing the all-time record for a player in Japan previously held by legend Sadaharu Oh. That feat also made him the most youthful hitter ever to secure Japan's elusive batting Triple Crown.

His 2023 season was limited to 56 games due to an muscle issue. Despite fanning 64 Ks, he still managed .273 with 22 home runs and 47 driven in.

Over his career tenure with the Yakult club, Murakami has posted a .270 career batting average with 246 homers, 647 runs batted in, and 977 Ks in nearly 900 games. He started playing mainly at first, he has since transitioned to third.

International Pedigree

Murakami's clutch hitting were on global view during the last World Baseball Classic. In the penultimate game against Mexico, he delivered a victory-sealing two-base hit that drove in teammates for a come-from-behind one-run win. The very next day in the final against the USA, he blasted a tying shot in the second inning, setting the stage for Japan's subsequent title triumph.

The power hitter is set to be unveiled at a media availability on Monday.