Chicago's MLB Team Secure Japanese Slugger Munetaka Murakami on a Lucrative Two-Year Agreement.

In a significant move for their overhauling roster, the South Side team have welcomed slugger Munetaka Murakami, agreeing to a two-year contract bringing in the accomplished player.

Financial Terms and Player Perks

The deal features a $1 million signing bonus, to be paid within 30 days, combined with annual pay of $16 million for the 2026 season and $17M for the 2027 year.

Importantly, Murakami's 2027 salary can increase based on award achievements in 2026:

• A seven-figure bonus for winning the Most Valuable Player award.
• $500K for finishing as runner-up or in third place in MVP voting.
• $250K for finishing between fourth and tenth.
• Another $250,000 for winning the Rookie of the Year honor.

The agreement also stipulates that he will not be optioned to the minor leagues without his permission and grants him a unrestricted player at the termination of the deal. Further benefits include a dedicated interpreter and flight reimbursement between the U.S. and Japan.

Posting Fee and Franchise History

As part of the acquisition, Chicago is obligated to provide a transfer fee of over $6.5 million to the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, Murakami's former team in Japan's professional league. The Yakult organization get a supplemental fee of any triggered incentive payments.

Murakami joins the ranks as the fourth-ever player from Japan to play for the South Siders, in the footsteps of pitcher Shingo Takatsu (2004-05), second baseman Tadahito Iguchi (2005-07), and fielder Kosuke Fukudome (2012). Of note, Takatsu was a manager for Murakami during their time in Japan.

Career Highlights

Murakami, a left-handed hitter who turns 26 soon, joins a young core of hitters in Chicago that includes prospects like Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, and Chase Meidroth. The club are coming off a 60-102 season, finishing last in the division but showing a notable improvement from the year before campaign.

A two-time Most Valuable Player honors in consecutive seasons, Murakami is renowned for a monumental 2022 season where he hit 56 home runs, breaking the single-season record for a NPB hitter previously held by icon Sadaharu Oh. That performance also made him the youngest player ever to secure Japan's prestigious batting Triple Crown.

His last year was shortened to just 56 appearances due to an muscle issue. Despite striking out 64 times, he still managed .273 with 22 homers and 47 runs batted in.

Over his eight-season tenure with the Yakult club, Murakami has compiled a .270 lifetime batting average with 246 homers, 647 runs batted in, and 977 strikeouts in nearly 900 games. He started playing primarily at first base, he has more recently played to the hot corner.

International Pedigree

Murakami's heroics were on center stage during the last World Baseball Classic. In the semi-final against Mexico, he hit a walk-off two-base hit that scored teammates for a come-from-behind 6-5 win. The following day in the final against the Team USA, he slugged a game-tying homer in the second inning, paving the way for Japan's subsequent title triumph.

The lefty slugger is scheduled to be officially presented at a press conference on the coming Monday.