Overview
- Reports say the 25-year-old agreed to a two-year, $34 million contract, with the posting system bringing the White Sox’s total outlay to about $40.575 million, including $6.575 million to the Yakult Swallows.
- Murakami is expected to play first base in Chicago, and the short-term pact contains no opt-outs, positioning him to re-enter free agency after two seasons.
- A two-time Central League MVP, he set a Japanese single-season record for a Japan-born player with 56 home runs in 2022 and has 246 career NPB homers.
- Teams cooled on long-term proposals over his rising strikeout and whiff rates and defensive questions, leading to a late agreement ahead of Monday’s 5 p.m. ET posting deadline.
- The White Sox, seeking middle-order thump for a rebuilding roster that finished with 165 homers in 2025, add a high-upside bat to a young core featuring Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, Edgar Quero and others.