Japanese slugger Murakami eyeing move to MLB in 2026 (report)
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One of Japan’s top sluggers is eyeing a move to Major League Baseball in 2026.
According to a report from Yahoo Sports Japan, corner infielder Munetaka Murakami announced that 2025 will be his final season in Nippon Professional Baseball, after which he will look to sign with an MLB team.
NPB players must accrue nine years of service time to become unrestricted international free agents, so Murakami will need to be posted by the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in order to pursue an MLB opportunity next offseason, when he’ll be coming off his eighth NPB campaign.
However, unlike Japanese pitching phenom Roki Sasaki, who is expected to be posted this offseason, Murakami won't be subject to international bonus pool restrictions when he is posted. Players who are at least 25 years old and have played as a professional in a foreign league recognized by Major League Baseball for a minimum of six seasons are exempt from those restrictions. Murakami is set to turn 25 this February.
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Despite his young age, Murakami has already compiled an impressive résumé, recording 224 homers with 600 RBIs and a .945 OPS over 836 games in NPB.
A left-handed slugger, Murakami won the Central League MVP Award in both 2021 and '22 and earned Central League Triple Crown honors in the second of those two seasons, recording a .318 average with 56 homers and 134 RBIs.
Murakami’s 56 home runs set a single-season NPB record among Japanese-born players, breaking the previous mark of 55 set by the legendary Sadaharu Oh in 1964.
Murakami’s production wasn't as substantial over the past two years, though he still reached the 30-homer plateau in both seasons.