Overview
- The Tokyo Yakult Swallows have posted Munetaka Murakami, giving MLB teams a Nov. 8–Dec. 22 window to negotiate, after which he would return to Yakult if unsigned.
- Any deal will include a tiered transfer fee to Yakult: 20% of the first $25 million, 17.5% of the next $25 million, and 15% of any amount above $50 million.
- Murakami, 25, is one of NPB’s premier power hitters with 246 career home runs and a 56-homer season in 2022.
- Though a third baseman in Japan, he is widely projected as a first baseman in MLB, and his recent strikeout rate around 29% raises adjustment questions.
- Industry chatter points to potential suitors including the Mets, Dodgers, Yankees, Red Sox, Padres and Mariners, with roster fits influenced by incumbents such as Triston Casas in Boston and Ben Rice in New York.