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In a significant move for their retooling roster, the South Side team have welcomed Japanese star Munetaka Murakami, completing a $34 million contract bringing in the accomplished player.

Financial Terms and Player Perks

The contract grants a seven-figure signing bonus, payable within 30 days, combined with annual pay of sixteen million for the upcoming season and $17M for the final year.

Importantly, Murakami's final-year pay can increase based on award achievements in 2026:

• An additional $1M for being named the league MVP award.
• $500K for finishing as runner-up or in third place in MVP voting.
• $250,000 for placing in the top ten.
• Another $250,000 for winning the ROY honor.

The agreement includes that he will not be optioned to the minor leagues without his approval and grants him a free agent at the termination of the term. Additional perks include a club-supplied interpreter and airfare between Japan and the U.S..

Compensation and Team Legacy

As part of the transaction, Chicago owes a posting fee of $6,575,000 to the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, Murakami's former team in Japan's professional league. The Yakult organization are also entitled to a supplemental fee of 15% triggered incentive payments.

Murakami will become the fourth Japanese-born 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 once managed Murakami back in Japan.

Career Highlights

Murakami, a left-side batter who will turn 26 in February, bolsters a young lineup in Chicago that includes prospects like Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, and Chase Meidroth. The club are finished with a difficult season, placing at the bottom in the American League Central but representing a notable improvement from the prior campaign.

Having earned league MVP honors in '21 and '22, Murakami is renowned for a record-breaking 2022 season where he belted 56 homers, surpassing the longstanding record for a player in Japan previously held by icon Sadaharu Oh. That year also made him the most youthful hitter ever to secure Japan's coveted batting Triple Crown.

His last year was shortened to a partial schedule due to an oblique injury. Even with fanning 64 times, he hit .273 with 22 HRs and 47 driven in.

Over his eight-year tenure with the Yakult club, Murakami has accumulated a .270 career batting average with 246 home runs, 647 RBIs, and 977 Ks in 892 contests. Early in his career playing primarily at first, he has more recently played to the hot corner.

International Pedigree

Murakami's clutch hitting were on global view during the 2023 WBC. In the semifinal against Mexico, he hit a game-ending double that brought home Shohei Ohtani and Masataka Yoshida for a thrilling 6-5 win. The next night in the championship game against the Team USA, he slugged a tying shot in the early innings, paving the way for Japan's subsequent championship win.

The power hitter is set to be unveiled at a media availability on Monday.