Multiple reports indicate Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami will be posted on Friday by Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball. The 45-day negotiating window begins on Saturday at 8:00 a.m. ET and closes on 5:00 p.m. ET on Dec. 22.
The 25-year-old left-handed hitter from Japan is among the best hitters to ever be posted — and would be a massive add for whatever team wins the sweepstakes. Murakami has clubbed 246 homers in 892 games in Japan, including an exceptional year in 2022 where he won the Triple Crown and recorded 56 homers, which is the single-season NPB record.
This season, Murakami slashed .273/.379/.663 with 22 homers in 57 games. It’s also worth noting Murakami punched out at a 28.6% clip in NPB last season, which was the third straight year in a row his K-rate reached 28%.
Murakami has played a majority of his time at third base in Japan, but he does have experience at first base where most MLB scouts think he will ultimately play in the majors.
Mets president of baseball ops David Stearns was in attendance to watch Murakami on Aug. 12 when the slugger hit a walk-off home run. In MLBTR’s recent contract predictions, they believe Murakami will get 8 years, $180 million and two of the four writer panel picked the Mets as the signing team.
It has also been confirmed that first/third baseman Kazuma Okamoto, who had played for the Yomiuri Giants of NPB since 2015, is set to be posted this offseason. The 29-year-old was a six-time All-Star in the league who slashed .277/.361/.521 with 248 home runs and 717 RBIs over 1,074 games. MLBTR predicts that Okamoto will sign a four-year deal worth $64 million.
If the total value of Murakami or Okamoto’s contract exceeds $50,000,001, any MLB club that signs him will be required to pay a fee to the Yakult Swallows. The value of that fee will be 20 percent of the first $25 million as well as 17.5 percent of the next $25 million and 15 percent of the guaranteed value of the deal beyond $50 million.
Should the total value of their respective deals fall between $25,000,001 and $50 million, the fee will be 20 percent of the first $25 million plus 17.5 percent of the total guaranteed value beyond $25 million.
