🔗 Share this article

In a significant move for their overhauling roster, the Chicago White Sox have officially added slugger Munetaka Murakami, completing a $34 million contract for the high-profile player.

Contract Details and Player Perks

The contract includes a $1 million signing bonus, to be paid within 30 days, in addition to compensation of $16 million for the upcoming season and $17 million for the 2027 year.

Importantly, Murakami's final-year pay may grow based on accolade achievements in 2026:

• A seven-figure bonus for winning the MVP award.
• $500,000 for placing second or third in MVP voting.
• A quarter-million for ranking between fourth and tenth.
• An identical bonus for winning the ROY honor.

His deal also stipulates that he cannot be assigned to the minor leagues without his approval and allows him to become a free agent at the conclusion of the deal. Extra provisions include a dedicated interpreter and airfare between Japan and the U.S..

Compensation and Team Legacy

As part of the transaction, Chicago owes a transfer fee of roughly $6.58 million to the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, Murakami's former team in Japan's professional league. The Japanese club are also entitled to a supplemental fee of fifteen percent triggered salary escalators.

Murakami is set to become the fourth player from Japan to suit up for the South Siders, following pitcher Shingo Takatsu (2004-05), second baseman Tadahito Iguchi (2005-07), and fielder Kosuke Fukudome (2012). Notably, Takatsu was a manager for Murakami while both were in Japan.

Career Highlights

Murakami, a left-handed hitter who will turn 26 soon, bolsters a emerging lineup in Chicago that also features prospects like Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, and Chase Meidroth. The club are finished with a last-place season, finishing last in the American League Central but representing a significant improvement from the year before campaign.

The winner of back-to-back league MVP honors in 2021 and 2022, Murakami is famous for a monumental 2022 season where he hit 56 HRs, eclipsing the longstanding record for a Japanese-born player previously held by icon Sadaharu Oh. That feat also made him the most youthful hitter ever to secure Japan's prestigious batting Triple Crown.

His last year was limited to a partial schedule due to an side strain. Even with striking out often, he hit .273 with 22 HRs and 47 driven in.

Over his career tenure with the Swallows, Murakami has compiled a .270 career batting average with 246 homers, 647 runs batted in, and nearly 1,000 strikeouts in nearly 900 games. He started playing primarily at first base, he has since transitioned to third.

WBC Heroics

Murakami's big-game performance were on full display during the last World Baseball Classic. In the penultimate game against Mexico, he delivered a victory-sealing double that brought home teammates for a come-from-behind one-run win. The next night in the title match against the United States, he slugged a equalizing shot in the early innings, paving the way for Japan's 3-2 championship win.

The lefty slugger is scheduled to be unveiled at a press conference on Monday.