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In a significant move for their rebuilding roster, the South Side team have officially added infielder Munetaka Murakami, finalizing a lucrative contract for the high-profile player.

Deal Structure and Added Benefits

The contract includes a seven-figure signing bonus, issued within 30 days, alongside compensation of $16M for the 2026 season and seventeen million for the final year.

Notably, Murakami's compensation may grow based on accolade achievements in 2026:

• $1 million for winning the league MVP award.
• $500K for finishing second or third in MVP voting.
• A quarter-million for ranking in the top ten.
• Another $250,000 for earning the ROY honor.

The agreement includes that he cannot be sent to the farm system without his approval and grants him a free agent at the conclusion of the term. Further benefits include a club-supplied interpreter and flight reimbursement between the U.S. and Japan.

Compensation and Team Legacy

As part of the signing, Chicago is obligated to provide a posting fee of $6,575,000 to the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, Murakami's previous team in Japan's professional league. The Japanese club are also entitled to a 15% cut of any triggered performance bonuses.

Murakami joins the ranks as the fourth player from Japan to suit up for the Chicago franchise, in the footsteps of pitcher Shingo Takatsu (2004-05), second baseman Tadahito Iguchi (2005-07), and outfielder Kosuke Fukudome (2012). Notably, Takatsu once managed Murakami during their time in Japan.

On-Field Accomplishments

Murakami, a lefty bat who will turn 26 in February, joins a emerging core of hitters in Chicago that also features prospects like Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, and Chase Meidroth. The team are coming off a last-place season, placing last in the division but showing a significant improvement from the year before campaign.

The winner of back-to-back Central League MVP honors in 2021 and 2022, Murakami is renowned for a historic 2022 season where he hit 56 homers, eclipsing the single-season record for a Japanese-born player formerly held by legend Sadaharu Oh. That performance also made him the most youthful hitter ever to win Japan's coveted batting Triple Crown.

His most recent NPB campaign was limited to just 56 appearances due to an oblique injury. Even with striking out often, he hit .273 with 22 home runs and 47 driven in.

Over his eight-year tenure with the Swallows, Murakami has compiled a .270 career batting average with 246 HRs, 647 runs batted in, and nearly 1,000 strikeouts in 892 contests. Initially playing primarily at first base, he has spent most of his time to the hot corner.

Global Stage Success

Murakami's heroics were on full display during the last World Baseball Classic. In the semi-final against Mexico, he hit a walk-off two-base hit that scored two fellow Japanese stars for a dramatic one-run win. The next night in the final against the United States, he hit a game-tying shot in the early innings, paving the way for Japan's subsequent championship win.

The lefty slugger is set to be unveiled at a media availability on the coming Monday.