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In a significant move for their rebuilding roster, the Chicago White Sox have officially added slugger Munetaka Murakami, finalizing a two-year contract bringing in the high-profile player.

Financial Terms and Added Benefits

The contract grants a $1 million signing bonus, issued within 30 days, in addition to annual pay of $16M for the 2026 season and seventeen million for the following year.

Additionally, Murakami's 2027 salary may grow based on performance achievements in 2026:

• $1 million for being named the MVP award.
• $500,000 for placing in the top three in MVP voting.
• A quarter-million for finishing between fourth and tenth.
• $250,000 for winning the ROY honor.

His deal provides that he cannot be sent to the minor leagues without his consent and grants him a free agent at the end of the term. Further benefits include a club-supplied interpreter and airfare between Japan and the U.S..

Posting Fee and Team Legacy

As part of the signing, Chicago owes a compensation payment of roughly $6.58 million to the Yakult Swallows, Murakami's previous team in Japan's professional league. The Japanese club get a 15% cut of 15% triggered salary escalators.

Murakami is set to become the fourth Japanese 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 previously coached Murakami while both were in Japan.

Career Highlights

Murakami, a left-side batter who will turn 26 on February 2nd, bolsters a emerging core of hitters in Chicago that also features prospects like Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, and Chase Meidroth. The White Sox are finished with a difficult season, finishing last in the division but representing a significant improvement from the year before campaign.

A two-time Central League MVP honors in '21 and '22, Murakami made history with a historic 2022 season where he belted 56 home runs, breaking the longstanding record for a player in Japan previously held by legend Sadaharu Oh. That feat also made him the youngest player ever to secure Japan's prestigious batting Triple Crown.

His 2023 season was curtailed to a partial schedule due to an side strain. Despite striking out 64 Ks, he batted .273 with 22 home runs and 47 runs batted in.

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

Global Stage Success

Murakami's heroics were on center stage during the 2023 WBC. In the semi-final against Mexico, he drove in a game-ending two-base hit that drove in Shohei Ohtani and Masataka Yoshida for a dramatic 6-5 win. The following day in the championship game against the USA, he hit a tying homer in the early innings, setting the stage for Japan's subsequent championship win.

The power hitter is slated to be officially presented at a press conference on Monday.