Munetaka Murakami bound for MLB? Japaneses star set to be posted with 45-day window to sign; could the Red Sox join the chase for the slugger?

One of Japan’s top stars is set to be posted for Major League Baseball teams, and he could be one of the most sought-after sluggers on the open market this winter.

The Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball will post corner infielder Munetaka Murakami, and he will have 45 days to reach an agreement with a major-league team, starting Saturday, according to multiple reports.

ESPN first reported the posting of Murakami, a left-handed batter, who appears ready to secure a lucrative multi-year deal in free agency. Experts predict a potential value of $185 million for an eight- or nine-year contract. His posting fee is expected to be at least $16.9 million, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

Major League teams that sign players through a posting must pay a fee to the Asian team from which the player is coming: 20% for the first $25 million, 17.5% for the next $25 million, and an additional 15% for every dollar over $50 million.

The Red Sox offered the richest contract to a Japanese position player coming to Major League Baseball: a five-year, $90 million deal to Masataka Yoshida three years ago. When Murakami signs with a team in the United States, his contract will easily surpass Yoshida's.

Murakami owns the single-season home run record for a Japanese player in Nippon Professional Baseball, having hit 56 in 2022 to break Sadaharu Oh's record of 55, which was set in 1964. The 25-year-old boasts tremendous power, belting 246 homers over his eight-year career in Japan.

He played in just 56 games this year because of an oblique injury, but still hit .273/.379/.663 with 22 homers before landing on the shelf. While Murakami offers tantalizing power, he has the propensity to strike out like most middle-of-the-order bats.

Murakami’s swing-and-miss and K numbers by season over the last four years:

• 2022: 31.7% whiff rate, 20.9% strikeout rate

• 2023: 34.3% whiff rate, 28.1% strikeout rate

• 2024: 37.3% whiff rate, 29.5% strikeout rate

• 2025: 36.7% whiff rate, 28.6% strikeout rate

In the majors, elite sluggers strike out, like Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, but their in-zone contact rate is above 75%, whereas Murakami was at 72.6%, down from 77.1%. In MLB, the average in-zone contact rate is 82.5%, according to FanGraphs.

He hits the ball hard; his max exit velocity during the ’25 campaign was 116.5 mph, according to NPB’s tracking data. Max exit velocity is an important metric in baseball because it evaluates the hitter’s raw power and potential ceiling. Now there are some caveats to that, and other power metrics should be considered. A player might have elite max EV but poor contact rate, launch angle, or swing decisions—meaning that raw power doesn’t always translate into consistent production.

As a left-handed power hitter, he could pepper the Green Monster in left field while also hitting balls to left-center field. This could transform him into a formidable doubles machine at Fenway Park, capitalizing on the wall and preventing deep flyouts that may occur in other major league parks.

Fenway’s deep right-center (Triangle) would limit some HRs, but his EV strength would still produce hard doubles and triples. Keep in mind, NPB parks are slightly smaller than the ballparks in the States, but it shouldn’t detract from his power numbers too much. If he were to call Fenway Park home, he could hit laser line drive homers similar to Rafael Devers while enhancing his doubles totals.

The Japanese slugger can play first base, which is a need for the Red Sox as they head into the offseason. Murakami could be the replacement for Alex Bregman in the Sox’ lineup if he bolts in free agency.

The Sox are looking to upgrade at first base with Triston Casas rehabbing back from his season-ending knee injury. Under no circumstances should the Red Sox pencil Casas in at first base to begin the season for a variety of reasons.

They should slow-play his return to the majors and look outside the organization for a first baseman.

“I don’t think it makes a ton of sense to say on October 6 someone is or isn’t our first baseman,” Breslow said in early October. “We’ll see how things play out. Unfortunately, Triston has missed a significant amount of time over the last two years. We’ve also seen what he is capable of doing when he is healthy.”

Obvious names like free agents Pete Alonso and Kyle Schwarber will be top of mind for Sox fans. Murakami is intriguing due to his age and offering serious thump, something Boston lacked throughout the course of last season.

If the Red Sox signed Murakami, it would be redundant to add Alonso or Schwarber, considering the trio will play at first (maybe not Schwarber) and DH at times next season.

The Red Sox could flip Murakami over at third base.

Boston desperately needs a power hitter after belting just 186 homers last season, ranking 15th overall in baseball. Trevor Story hit the only home run for the Sox in the playoffs. Plus, the Red Sox had just two players who hit 20 or more in Story (25) and Wilyer Abreu (22) in ’25.

Even with Murakami’s power, the idea of adding Alonso and his 38 homers from last season, coupled with being a right-handed slugger that rarely misses games (162 in 2024 and 2025), might make him a more appealing option than the 25-year-old.

Murakami will only be available through Dec. 22, which means the Red Sox will need to act quickly if they plan to be aggressive suitors for the slugger. Craig Breslow has had a history of slow-playing free agency, including signing Bregman in February right as spring training was getting underway. Boston will need to decide if shorter-term deals for aging veterans like Alonso or Schwarber make sense or if they should sign Murakami and add him to their young core of players.

Outside of the Red Sox, the Dodgers, Mets, Yankees, Mariners, Padres, and Tigers are expected to be in the mix for Murakami.

The American League champion, the Toronto Blue Jays, could be a dark horse candidate for Murakami after trying to spend big on Ohtani and Juan Soto in previous off-seasons.

The Dodgers' deep pockets and willingness to do whatever it takes to land a player in free agency should make them favorites regardless of having Freddie Freeman at first base and picking up the option for Max Muncy just a few days ago.

As the offseason progresses, Boston will consider all options, with Breslow and his team likely to target Alonso, Schwarber, and now Murakami.

“We faced significant injuries in the course of the season to guys that have shown they can hit the ball out of the ballpark, whether that was in the big leagues or internally,” Breslow said. “So, we’ll actively look to improve the roster. That means we have to be willing to look into free agency, trade, and internally.”

OTHER JAPANESE STARS TO IMPACT MLB

Tatsuya Imai, RHP

The 27-year-old has an intriguing arm that went 10-5 with a 1.92 ERA, 2.01 FIP, and 178 strikeouts in 24 starts. He generates strikeouts while lowering his walks down to a very respectable rate of 7.0% in 2025. However, that marked only his second season walking fewer than 10% of batters faced.

Although he is not a large pitcher at just 5-foot-11 and 154 pounds, his velocity reaches the upper 90s, and he possesses several potential plus offerings; however, his command and physical frame raise potential red flags for any team considering signing him this winter.

In addition to his 95-99 mph fastball, he offers a cutter that blends in with his slider, and a splitter is considered a plus pitch. Most publications that evaluate players and offer contract projections have Imai in the ballpark of a six- or seven-year deal, mainly because he has super agent Scott Boras.

If should be a capable mid-rotation starter for any team in the bigs, and with the Red Sox needing a legitimate No. 2 and their current depth, Imai doesn’t project as an option for Boston.

Kazuma Okamoto, 1B/3B

Okamoto, 29, will also be posted coming off last season, where he played in 69 games and hit .327/.416/.598 with 15 home runs, 49 runs batted in, and a wRC+ of 210. In each of the previous seven seasons, he clubbed at least 27 home runs across a minimum of 118 games (in 2020, he still hit 31 that year).

Teams that miss out on the likes of Alonso and Bregman should pivot to Okamoto as a cheaper alternative in the efforts to beef up the middle of their lineups. The soon-to-be 30-year-old puts the bat on the ball with pop in his bat.

There’ll be an adjustment as he comes over from Japan, and teams and fans alike should expect his OPS just north of 1.000 and .327 batting average to come down to earth as he faces stiffer pitching competition in the States.

Again, the Red Sox will likely kick the tires on Okamoto in case they whiff on Bregman or another key impact free agent. The Diamondbacks, Giants, Mariners, and Padres should also be in the mix.