The MLB posting deadline for any team to sign Munetaka Murakami is nearing, with December 22 being the final day, and now the San Diego Padres are emerging as a potential suitor. Moreover, as the final days approach, teams could be ramping up their efforts to secure the player with question marks but tremendous upside.
Despite playing just 56 games last season in Japan due to an oblique injury, Murakami still hit 22 home runs and posted a .273/.379/.663 slash line.
Nonetheless, teams remain cautious, particularly because of his strikeouts and high swing-and-miss rate on pitches in the zone. Still, his youth and long-term potential make him an enticing prospect.
One team that could make a last-minute jump for the player are the Padres. After re-signing veteran pitcher Michael King and South Korean infielder Sung-Mun Song, the Padres could be turning their attention to the Japanese slugger.
On the December 19 edition of “Foul Territory,” Baseball America’s Geoff Pontes reported that San Diego have met with Murakami.
“I believe that the Padres have had some meetings,” Pontes said. “I don’t know if the Song signing from Korea [on December 19], maybe offsets that a little bit. It seems like the market is a lot softer than I think Murakami, or his representation, necessarily expected when he came over.”
Munetaka Murakami Concerns Amid Padres News
The buzz around Murakami has been relatively quiet, and there’s no concrete information on whether it’s by design or whether his representatives miscalculated the market. Regardless, Pontes provided additional details on why teams may be hesitant to sign Murakami.
“Teams are really suspect of the lack of plate skills there, how the bats of all ability is going to translate, and how frequently he’s going to be able to get to that power,” Pontes added. “We’ve heard that there’s this Kyle Schwarber-esque upside. From a raw power perspective, certainly there is. I don’t know if he’s ever going to hit like Kyle Schwarber. It was a lot of swing and miss… We’ll see how that translates to the United States.
“You could be talking about a guy his first year here, who hits 220 or lowered, like a buck 90. Then you have questions about, you probably can’t play him at third base. He’s not a very good first baseman, so you’re locking yourself in the air with a low-contact, low-batting average DH. Teams, though they value impact and they value power hitting, they do still value contact.”
What Teams Have Interest in Munetaka Murakami
Regarding the other teams linked to Murakami, MLB Network insider Jon Morosi shared on December 12 potential landing spots for the power hitter, including the New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays.
“Murakami is of interest to teams like the Red Sox, the Mariners, the Tigers, the Phillies, the Mets, the Blue Jays, a lot of different teams,” Morosi said on MLB Network.
“The Pirates, I have been told, are connected to Murakami. If you want to sign Murakami, you only have 10 more days to do it. And so if the [Alex] Bregman market is going to continue into the new year, and if you’re thinking about Bregman or the power of Murakami.
“All the power that he’s had in the past, the 56-homer season, a really intriguing lefty bat. Yeah, there’s some swing and miss, but he’s a guy that a lot of teams like. You can’t wait forever on Bregman because Murakami is no longer a secondary option once you get past December 22.”
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