Another Japanese star could soon join the MLB ranks.
Per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, slugger and corner infielder Munetaka Murakami is expected to be posted by the Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball this winter.
This was to be expected. Murakami has made plenty of buzz with his bat, slugging 246 home runs in 892 career games, including a 56-homer effort in 2022. He has primarily played third base, but he has experience at first base, too.
Just 25 years old, Murakami is the kind of free agent who might hold nearly universal appeal in the big leagues. That said, our predictions see him ultimately signing with the Seattle Mariners, who could lose both first baseman Josh Naylor and third baseman Eugenio Suárez to free agency.
Prediction: Murakami signs a 10-year, $225 million deal with the Mariners.