🔗 Share this article

In a significant move for their rebuilding roster, the American League club have signed Japanese star Munetaka Murakami, agreeing to a two-year contract with the power-hitting player.

Financial Terms and Added Benefits

The deal features a substantial signing bonus, payable within 30 days, in addition to annual pay of $16M for the upcoming season and seventeen million for the final year.

Importantly, Murakami's 2027 salary can increase based on performance achievements in 2026:

• An additional $1M for earning the Most Valuable Player award.
• Half a million dollars for placing as runner-up or in third place in MVP voting.
• $250K for placing between fourth and tenth.
• $250,000 for being named the Rookie of the Year honor.

The agreement provides that he cannot be sent to the farm system without his consent and grants him a free agent at the end of the term. Additional perks include a dedicated interpreter and airfare between the U.S. and Japan.

Posting Fee and Team Legacy

As part of the acquisition, Chicago is obligated to provide a posting fee of roughly $6.58 million to the Swallows, Murakami's previous team in Japan's professional league. The Yakult organization get a 15% cut of 15% triggered performance bonuses.

Murakami joins the ranks as the fourth player from Japan to represent the White Sox, joining reliever Shingo Takatsu (2004-05), second baseman Tadahito Iguchi (2005-07), and fielder Kosuke Fukudome (2012). Of note, Takatsu was a manager for Murakami back in Japan.

Player Profile

Murakami, a left-handed hitter who will turn 26 in February, joins 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 last in the American League Central but representing a notable improvement from the prior campaign.

The winner of back-to-back league MVP honors in consecutive seasons, Murakami is famous for a monumental 2022 season where he belted 56 home runs, breaking the longstanding record for a player in Japan formerly held by icon Sadaharu Oh. That performance also made him the most youthful hitter ever to secure Japan's prestigious batting Triple Crown.

His 2023 season was curtailed to just 56 appearances due to an side strain. Even with fanning 64 times, he hit .273 with 22 home runs and 47 runs batted in.

Over his career tenure with the Swallows, Murakami has posted a .270 lifetime batting average with 246 homers, 647 RBI, and nearly 1,000 strikeouts in 892 games. Early in his career playing primarily at first base, he has since transitioned to third.

Global Stage Success

Murakami's big-game performance were on full display during the 2023 World Baseball Classic. In the semifinal against Mexico, he delivered a walk-off double that brought home teammates for a thrilling 6-5 win. The following day in the title match against the Team USA, he slugged a tying home run in the early innings, setting the stage for Japan's subsequent championship win.

The power hitter is slated to be formally introduced at a press conference on Monday.