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In a notable move for their overhauling roster, the South Side team have signed slugger Munetaka Murakami, finalizing a two-year contract bringing in the power-hitting player.

Contract Details and Incentives

The deal includes a $1 million signing bonus, issued within 30 days, alongside annual pay of $16 million for the upcoming season and $17 million for the following year.

Importantly, Murakami's 2027 salary can increase based on award achievements in 2026:

• A seven-figure bonus for being named the MVP award.
• $500,000 for placing as runner-up or in third place in MVP voting.
• A quarter-million for finishing between fourth and tenth.
• An identical bonus for earning the Rookie of the Year honor.

His deal also stipulates that he cannot be assigned to the minors without his permission and makes him a unrestricted player at the conclusion of the contract. Extra provisions include a club-supplied interpreter and travel costs between Japan and the U.S..

Transfer Payment and Team Legacy

As part of the acquisition, Chicago must pay a transfer fee of over $6.5 million to the Swallows, Murakami's former team in Japan's Central League. The Japanese club are also entitled to a 15% cut of any triggered incentive payments.

Murakami will become the fourth player from Japan to suit up for the White Sox, in the footsteps of pitcher Shingo Takatsu (2004-05), infielder Tadahito Iguchi (2005-07), and outfielder Kosuke Fukudome (2012). Notably, Takatsu previously coached Murakami while both were in Japan.

Career Highlights

Murakami, a lefty bat who will turn 26 soon, joins a young lineup in Chicago that also features prospects like Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, and Chase Meidroth. The White Sox are finished with a difficult season, placing last in the American League Central but showing a 19-game improvement from the year before campaign.

Having earned Central League MVP honors in 2021 and 2022, Murakami is famous for a monumental 2022 season where he hit 56 homers, surpassing the single-season record for a player in Japan previously held by icon Sadaharu Oh. That feat also made him the youngest player ever to achieve Japan's elusive Triple Crown.

His most recent NPB campaign was shortened to just 56 appearances due to an side strain. Even with fanning often, he hit .273 with 22 home runs and 47 driven in.

Over his eight-year tenure with the Yakult club, Murakami has accumulated a .270 career batting average with 246 homers, 647 runs batted in, and nearly 1,000 strikeouts in 892 games. He started playing mostly at first base, he has spent most of his time to third base.

International Pedigree

Murakami's heroics were on full display during the 2023 WBC. In the semifinal against Mexico, he delivered a victory-sealing two-base hit that scored Shohei Ohtani and Masataka Yoshida for a thrilling 6-5 victory. The following day in the championship game against the United States, he slugged a game-tying home run in the second inning, helping Japan's subsequent 3-2 victory.

The power hitter is set to be formally introduced at a introductory event on Monday.