CHICAGO.– The Chicago White Sox bolstered their offense by reaching a two-year, $34 million agreement with star Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami, the club announced this Sunday.
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Murakami, 25, entered the
posting system on November 7, which opened a 45-day period for Major League teams to negotiate with the left-handed slugger. The deadline to finalize the agreement expired this Monday at 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time.
Having already turned 25 and accumulated eight seasons in the
Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), Murakami was not subject to international bonus restrictions. However, he still had to go through the posting system as he had not reached the nine campaigns required to declare himself a free agent.
Considered one of the most feared hitters in Japanese baseball, Murakami developed his entire career in the NPB with the
Yakult Swallows, the team with which he established himself as a superstar. He was the
Most Valuable Player in consecutive seasons (2021 and 2022), participated in four All-Star Games, won the
Rookie of the Year award and led his club to the championship in 2021.
Since his professional debut at age 18 in 2018, Murakami has hit
246 home runs, with five seasons of at least 30 home runs. In his career in Japan, he recorded an offensive line of
.270/.394/.557, with an OPS of .951 in 892 games.
With this signing, the White Sox are betting on the enormous power of the Japanese player to revitalize their lineup and add immediate impact in the heart of the offensive order for the next two seasons.
