What to know about heralded Japanese free agent Munetaka Murakami
The Los Angeles Dodgers are back-to-back World Series champions, the first Major League Baseball team to accomplish such a feat in a quarter of a century. They did so through massive spending, deferred money, a deep farm system, and several key international players.
The Dodgers have been lucky, landing the biggest Japanese free agents in each of the past two offseasons − Yoshinobu Yamamoto in 2024; Roki Sasaki in 2025. They also secured Shohei Ohtani to a massive 10-year, $700 million contract. All three of those players played massive roles in the Dodgers’ championship run this year. So, unsurprisingly, with hype building around 25-year-old Japanese superstar Munetaka Murakami, nicknamed the ‘Japanese Babe Ruth,’ several MLB teams are vying for his services.
With Murakami’s posting period underway, here are the latest rumors and everything to know regarding Murakami, one of the biggest free agents this offseason:
Munetaka Murakami stats
At 25 years old, Murakami already has more than 250 home runs in Japanese league play. His power is remarkable, and in 2025, he hit 24 home runs in just 69 games, which would put him on pace for 50-plus homers in a full 143-game season in Japan.
That wouldn’t be the first time Murakami has hit 50 homers in a season either. He hit 56 dingers in 2022, which many regard to be his greatest offensive season. Aside from the homers, Murakami also slashed .318/.458/.710, good for a 1.168 OPS. While those numbers dipped each of the next two years, his OPS never fell below .800, and in 2025, although his action was limited, he managed to climb back toward his 2022 peak, boasting a 1.051 OPS this most recent season.
For comparison, Shohei Ohtani managed a 1.002 and .942 OPS in each of his final two seasons in Japan. Seiya Suzuki’s final season in Japan saw him record a 1.069 OPS.
The biggest concern regarding Murakami is his strikeout rate. After whiffing in only 21% of his plate appearances three seasons ago, his strikeout rate rose drastically to 28.8% in the following three campaigns.
For Murakami’s career, he slashed .273/.394/.550, good for a .944 OPS across eight seasons. He was also named NPB MVP twice.
Munetaka Murakami rumors
According to ESPN, Murakami is expected to fetch a nine-figure MLB contract. High-ranking MLB scouts allegedly attended several of Murakami’s games and were thoroughly impressed with his talent. MLB Trade Rumors reports that the Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels, San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners all make sense as destinations. They also say that the Dodgers shockingly might not make a move on Murakami barring a trade of third baseman Max Muncy.
