White Sox sign Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami

Coming off a thrilling Bears win over the Packers, the good times keep rolling for Chicago sports fans.

On Sunday, a source confirmed to the Sun-Times that the White Sox have signed Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami on a two-year, $34 million deal.

This is a significant move for the Sox, who add a 25-year-old with immense power who also fits the timeline of the team’s young core of position players. Not blocking the development paths of any of the young players was of utmost importance to general manager Chris Getz.

“You look at the roster right now with some of these young players and you want to continue to see how things play out with them and continue to develop those players and see what level of impact that they can make … you certainly don’t want to create any sort of disruption in their development,” Getz said at the winter meetings. “Finding additions to this club just remains a focus and it’s an easier access point using free agency. We’re going to continue to add, find creative ways to build this team.”

Murakami hit 246 home runs over eight seasons in Japan, including a record-breaking 56 homers in 2022. His market cooled due to swing-and-miss and defensive concerns, but with a two-year deal for a team with few future commitments beyond Andrew Benintendi’s contract, the Sox could afford the risk. The Sox finished last season 23rd in homers as a club (165) and wanted to add more slug to the lineup.

This short-term pact is the type of deal that can be a boon for the Sox, who usually don’t sign players with this upside because of limited payroll flexibility. It’s likely that Murakami will play first base, which would likely create a platoon at third between Miguel Vargas and Curtis Mead.

Signing Murakami is the first big signing under Getz’s regime. No longer is he just tearing down the roster for prospects; Getz is now adding to the team in hopes of improving for next season.

Getz said that he wanted overhaul the team’s international scouting department, and creating a footing in Japan was one of his priorities. The Cubs have had several success stories (slugger Seiya Suzuki and left-hander Shota Imanaga) with their international signings.

Despite Murakami’s red flags, this is a no-brainer deal that Getz had to make because of the upside Murakami possesses. Coming off winning the 2026 draft lottery, the Sox finally have positive momentum for the first time in a long time.