Japanese Star Murakami Heads to South Side Chicago

Munetaka Murakami signs with White Sox (MLB.com)

I’m sure the Pope will be excited to hear the White Sox are almost interesting again, after 20 long years. Chicago has only won the AL Central division once since 2008, when the Tony LaRussa-led club won 93 games in 2021. The 1-2 punch of Lance Lynn and Carlos Rodón was exciting, and José Abreu had a great run before his crash and burn in Houston. Evenstill, the 2005 World Series Champion White Sox were the apex of the franchise. The pitching was awesome, with Mark Buehrle, José Contreras, and Jon Garland starting. Franchise folkhero Bobby Jenks was a rookie in the bullpen, and lesser known guys like Neal Cotts had big years. Paul Konerko finished 6th in the AL MVP, and Tadahito Iguchi finished 4th in ROY. We aren’t quite there yet, but today, as of this writing, White Sox fans are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with the announcement of back-to-back NPB MVP Munetaka Murakami headed to the Southside.

Murakami gets a two-year deal for $34M, which allows him to prove to the league that he can hit velocity at the MLB level. If he hits .250 with 35 HR a year, he’s looking at more money than Alonso’s 5 year/$155M deal given he’ll still only be 28 years old entering the 2028 season. Much ink has been spilt on his suspect defense at 3B, so it’s not surprising to hear that he’ll move across the diamond to first base. 

For those who didn’t read our report on Murakami earlier this offseason, Munetaka is a 26-year-old Japanese star with prodigious power. In fact, he has the highest top exit velocity of any player 26 years or younger in the world. He hits the ball very hard, but has a lot of swing and miss in his profile and struggles with MLB heat. It is worth noting that there are some false numbers regarding this: Murakami hit .263/.300/.526 against 95+ MPH in 2025. As you can see below, Murakami has a low Z-Con% (contact in the zone), but his OPS+ is far above anyone else on the list, and his .390 ISO easily led the league this season.

NPB Hitting Stats (Fangraphs with original source Yakyu Cosmopolitan)

The White Sox infield got interesting in the 2025 season, with rookies like Kyle Teel and Colson Montgomery impressing. Teel came from the Garrett Crochet trade, and showed he can both catch and hit at the MLB level. The White Sox offense hit .232/.302/.373, but they should make positive strides in their sophomore year at The Show. Texas A & M alum Braden Montgomery is also not far from his debut as a switch-hitting outfield bat. Chris Getz still has Luis Roberts Jr. for another year, for now anyway, and you would think this lineup has potential to be at least average if Murakami and Roberts Jr. produce. They’ll have more power with full seasons from their core, though they could benefit from adding some speed. Not helping the cause is veteran left fielder Andrew Benentendi, who is still owed over $32M through the 2027 season. The front office will look forward to replacing his 30th percentile speed with a cheaper and faster young talent.

2025 MLB Team Hitting Ranks (Fangraphs)

From a starting pitching standpoint, Chris Getz probably needs to sign at least one more veteran arm on the free market. He did sign NPB standout Anthony Kay to a 2 year/ $12M deal, but who knows if his performance in Yokohama will translate back to the MLB? He had a 1.74 ERA in 155 innings, but he doesn’t have big time strikeout stuff and failed to make a lasting impression in his first MLB opportunity. Chicago’s staff had a 4.39 ER in 2025, but their xERA was a much worse 4.84 despite 11 dominant Adrian Houser starts. Martín Pérez was effective like Houser, but declined his side of the mutual option and is likely not coming back. Some of the young guys did well (e.g. Shane Smith), while others really struggled (e.g. Jonathan Cannon), but really only Davis Martin and Smith can be relied on for solid innings in 2026. The farm system is stocked though as well, with 6’9” Noah Schultz and fellow lefty Hagen Smith not far from their MLB debuts.

White Sox Starting Pitching Depth (Fangraphs)

The bullpen was below-average as well; Jordan Leasure, Mike Vasil, and Grant Taylor had good years, but the White Sox had a tough time chasing in leads. Regardless, Will Venable’s club saw a 19-game improvement, after an MLB record 121 losses in 2024. They should make another jump to 70-75 wins this season if Chris Getz adds a few more pieces this winter. The AL Central appears to be up for grabs in the near future, particularly if the Tigers end up trading Tarik Skubal. I’d like to see the White Sox make a run in 2027, before Murakami hits the open market again.