Japanese superstar Munetaka Murakami is headed to Major League Baseball, signing a two-year, $34 million contract with the Chicago White Sox. The deal marks the rebuilding team’s first major free-agent signing in several years and brings one of the most accomplished hitters in Nippon Professional Baseball history to Chicago.
Murakami officially entered MLB free agency through the posting system on November 8, giving him a 45-day window to negotiate with major league teams. The White Sox emerged as the winners for the highly coveted slugger, widely viewed as the premier position player available from Japan this offseason.
The 25-year-old arrives in the United States after eight standout seasons with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of Japan’s Central League. Over nearly 900 career games in NPB, Murakami established himself as one of the league’s most dominant hitters, posting a career slash line of .270/.394/.557 with 246 home runs.
Murakami’s best season came in 2022, when he delivered one of the greatest offensive campaigns in Japanese baseball history. At just 22 years old, he hit .318/.458/.710 with 56 home runs in 141 games, breaking the long-standing single-season home run record for a Japanese-born player previously held by Sadaharu Oh since 1964. That performance solidified Murakami’s reputation as a generational power hitter and fueled speculation that he would eventually make the jump to MLB.
A 6-foot-2, 230-pound left-handed hitter with elite exit velocity, Murakami has consistently ranked among Japan’s top sluggers. He recorded five seasons with at least 30 home runs, including four seasons in which he finished between 30 and 39 home runs.
Murakami’s 2025 season was limited by an oblique injury, restricting him to just 56 games. Even in that shortened season, he remained highly productive, hitting .273/.379/.663 with 22 home runs in only 224 plate appearances.
While Murakami has yet to appear in a major league game, he has performed in international competition. He played a pivotal role in Japan’s championship run at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, delivering a walk-off two-run double in the semifinal against Mexico and a dramatic game-tying home run in the final against the United States.
A two-time Central League Most Valuable Player, Murakami was widely regarded as the most fascinating and talented player to hit the market this winter. His arrival gives the White Sox a middle-of-the-order presence with proven power, plate discipline, and big-game experience as the organization looks to accelerate its rebuild.
