The New York Mets are attempting to replace the production of Brandon Nimmo and Pete Alonso heading into next season. They’ve added Marcus Semien and Jorge Polanco to help with that, and the Mets continue to be linked to high-profile free agents as MLB’s hot stove season rolls on.
One name that the Mets had interest in was Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami. However, on Sunday, just a day before his posting window is set to close, Murakami decided to sign with the Chicago White Sox on a two-year, $34 million contract. Murakami is a corner infielder who will play first base in Chicago.
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Mets Miss Out On Munetaka Murakami
This is bad news for the New York Mets, as they can use a power bat like Munetaka Murakami to help with the loss of production from Pete Alonso.
Murakami is also one of the more highly anticipated sluggers to come over to MLB from Nippon Professional Baseball. He’s made a name for himself in the international market by hitting 56 home runs in a season at 22 years old and appearing in the WBC with Team Japan in 2023.
At this point, it’s unclear what the Mets are going to do at the first base position. Mark Vientos is currently listed as the only first base option on the team’s depth chart. Vientos has experience at one of the hot corners over at third.
GettySeveral MLB teams seem concerned with Munetaka Murakami’s strikeout rate.
The White Sox ultimately win the Murakami sweepstakes, and other teams thought to be in the race for the NPB slugger were the Red Sox and Mets.
Many analysts and insiders believed that Murakami would land a more lucrative deal from a big spender (like the Mets or Red Sox), but his market appeared to be less robust, so he settled for an AAV of $17 million and will not attempt to prove himself at the big league level over the next two seasons.
What is the Mets’ Next Move?
The New York Mets must remain active as the winter progresses. They are steadily being linked to top outfielders Kyler Tucker and Cody Bellinger. After losing Nimmo and Alonso, it feels as if the Mets need to make a big splash to stay in the conversation as an NL contender.
Division rivals in the Braves and Phillies are showing a willingness to improve their roster, and while the Mets are doing the same, their top signing (Devin Williams and Polanco) don’t feel as big when you consider New York lost closer Edwin Diaz and Alonso as a result.
However, the bright side for the Mets is that there is still time, and a lot of value and production left out on the market. The position player market has been slow so far this winter, but this Munetaka Murakami decision might ramp things up a bit.
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