NEW YORK — Munetaka Murakami, a power-hitting corner infielder who has starred in his native Japan, entered Major League Baseball’s posting system Saturday and will be available to teams to sign as a free agent through Dec. 22.
Murakami, who turns 26 on Feb. 2, was the Central League MVP in Nippon Professional Baseball in 2021 and 2022 with the Yakult Swallows and is a four-time NPB All-Star.
He batted .273 with 22 home runs and 47 RBIs this season while limited to 56 games by an oblique injury. He struck out 64 times.
Murakami hit 56 homers in 2022 to break Sadaharu Oh’s record for a Japanese-born player in NPB while becoming the youngest player to earn Japan’s Triple Crown, also leading the league with his .318 batting average and 134 RBIs. He topped 30 homers in four straight years before an injury-interrupted season in 2023.
He has a .270 career average with 246 homers, 647 RBIs and 977 strikeouts in 892 games over eight Central League seasons, all with the Swallows.
After playing primarily at first base in 2019 and 2020, he has spent most of his time since as a third baseman.
At the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Murakami hit a ninth-inning walk-off double off Giovanny Gallegos that scored Shohei Ohtani and Masataka Yoshida to give Japan a 6-5 semifinal win over Mexico. The following day in the championship game, Murakami hit a tying home run off Merrill Kelly in the second inning, and Japan went on to beat the United States 3-2.
Under the agreement between MLB and NPB, the posting fee will be 20% of the first $25 million of a major league contract, including earned bonuses and options. The percentage drops to 17.5% of the next $25 million and 15% of any amount over $50 million. There would be a supplemental fee of 15% of any earned bonuses, salary escalators and exercised options.
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