Overview
- Chicago’s total cost is about $40.575 million, including a $6.575 million posting fee paid to the Yakult Swallows.
- Murakami is expected to play first base for the White Sox as they seek more middle-of-the-order power.
- He set a single-season record for a Japan-born player with 56 home runs in 2022 and enters MLB with 265 NPB homers and two Central League MVPs.
- Teams’ concerns over strikeouts, in-zone contact and defensive fit cooled long-term bids, leading to a short-term pact finalized near the 5 p.m. ET posting deadline.
- He was introduced Monday in Chicago and lightened the press conference by pulling out a literal white sock.