MLB hot stove
"Japanese Babe Ruth" Chooses Chicago
Munetaka Murakami, NPB home run king and the man they call the "Japanese Babe Ruth," has signed a two year, $34 million dollar contract with the rebuilding Chicago White Sox. Experts predicted much bigger offers for the star, but concerns on his game hampered proceedings.
The decision by Munetaka Murakami to join the Chicago White Sox is less a conventional free-agent landing than a strategic bet on himself, and on timing.
Widely dubbed “Japan’s Babe Ruth,” Murakami arrives in Major League Baseball as one of the most decorated hitters ever to come out of Nippon Professional Baseball. At just 25, he already owns the NPB record for home runs in a single season by a Japan-born player, blasting 56 in 2022, and leaves Japan with 246 career homers after eight seasons with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. His résumé includes two Central League MVP awards, an Olympic gold medal from Tokyo 2020, and years of being the most feared bat in Japan.
What raised eyebrows across the league was not where he signed, but how. Rather than accepting a longer-term deal at a lower annual value, Murakami chose a short, high-dollar, two-year contract worth $34 million. Several clubs reportedly offered more security. Murakami declined it. The logic is obvious: succeed quickly, hit free agency again at 27, and cash in while still squarely in his prime.
There are reasons teams hesitated. Scouts have flagged concerns about Murakami’s defense at third base and his tendency to swing and miss, even at hittable pitches. Major league pitching is unforgiving, and Japanese sluggers with prodigious power have not always made the transition smoothly. The White Sox, deep into a rebuild and desperate for offense, were willing to take that risk.
Chicago is offering Murakami opportunity as much as money. He is expected to see time at both third base and first, and will be asked to anchor a lineup that finished near the bottom of the American League in home runs. If he adjusts, he becomes the centerpiece of the rebuild overnight. If he struggles, the commitment is limited.
For Murakami, this is a calculated leap. He is young, physically imposing, and has nothing left to prove in Japan. The short-term deal puts the pressure squarely on performance, but it also gives him control. Hit major league pitching, and this contract becomes a springboard rather than a ceiling.
For the White Sox, it’s a swing worth taking. For Murakami, it’s a statement: he’s betting that “Japan’s Babe Ruth” translates, and that the real payday is still ahead.