Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami has entered the posting system, making him available to Major League Baseball teams in one of this winter’s most anticipated moves. The 25-year-old third baseman — who can also play first base — began the formal posting process Friday; his 45-day window for signing starts at 8 a.m. ET Saturday and runs through 5 p.m. ET on Dec. 22.
Murakami is one of Japan’s premier power hitters. In 2022 he broke Sadaharu Oh’s long-standing single-season NPB home run record by hitting 56 homers, and across eight seasons with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows he has totaled 246 home runs. Despite missing time this year with an oblique injury, Murakami still slashed .273/.379/.663 in 56 games and hit 22 homers.
Scouts and executives are intrigued by his combination of age, plate discipline and raw power. Over his NPB career he’s posted a .270/.394/.557 line with a walk rate north of 16% and a strikeout rate around 26%. Teams will evaluate concerns about his swing-and-miss, especially inside the zone, but his upside is expected to spark a competitive market.
Murakami is part of a deeper wave of talent moving from Asia to MLB this offseason. Other expected posting or international additions include pitchers Tatsuya Imai and Kona Takahashi, first baseman Kazuma Okamoto, and returnees such as Cody Ponce, Foster Griffin, and Anthony Kay, all of whom have recent experience in Korea or Japan. High-ranking MLB personnel reportedly scouted multiple Murakami games this season and left impressed.
The posting system requires MLB teams to pay a transfer fee to the player’s NPB club: 20% on the first $25 million of the contract, 17.5% on the next $25 million, and 15% for any amount above $50 million. Industry expectation is that Murakami will command a nine-figure contract, which would add a posting fee estimated to be at least $16.9 million on top of the player deal.
Teams will weigh Murakami’s power and plate discipline against strikeout tendencies and recent injury history. His arrival — alongside other high-profile signings from Japan in recent years — continues to reshape roster building in MLB; previous additions such as Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto helped power the Los Angeles Dodgers to championships and underscore the impact top international talent can have on big-league contenders.
