Breaking: Japanese Slugger Murakami Signs in Surprising Location

Munetaka Murakami watches a HR leave the yard in Japan

It was one of the biggest mysteries of the offseason: Where would intriguing Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami sign? We got that answer on Sunday as the 25-year-old 1B/3B/DH has signed with the rebuilding Chicago White Sox.

BREAKING: Third baseman Munetaka Murakami and the Chicago White Sox are in agreement on a two-year, $34 million contract, sources tell ESPN. Murakami, 25, is the single-season home run champion in Japan and will bring his prodigious power to a rebuilding White Sox team.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 21, 2025

It's a two-year, $34 million deal for the single-season home run king of Japan. Murakami blasted 56 long balls in the 2022 season at the age of 22, breaking Sadaharu Oh's nearly 60-year-old record. And he was on pace for 50 again in 2025, before an oblique injury cut his season in half.

Insider Jeff Passan calls this a "savvy" move for the ChiSox, and that "the upside for Murakami is enormous." It appears that the young slugger is expected to play first base on the South Side of Chicago.

Munetaka Murakami makes surprising free agent decision

The 6-foot-2, 230-pound left-handed masher is a two-time Central League MVP, and has 246 home runs in his eight seasons for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. This guy simply crushes the ball.

Passan writes that Murakami's hard-hit rate would have been first among all major leaguers, his 90th-percentile exit velocity would have placed him fifth in all of MLB, and his maximum exit velocity would have been 12th.

There are a couple of downsides to Murakami—his defense, and his swing-and-miss propensity. His best position will eventually likely be DH, but he has mostly played third in Japan. As mentioned, he has played some first, and that's where he'll likely debut in Chicago.

Because it's really an unknown how his power and ability to put bat to ball will translate to the major leagues, a long-term, big-money contract was not in the cards for Murakami, but as Passan notes, if he's able to prove himself over the next two years, he would hit the free agent market again at the age of 27 and at that point, "be primed to cash in on a megadeal."