Another Japanese star could be coming to the majors in 2026.
Slugging corner infielder Munetaka Murakami will be posted by Nippon Professional Baseball's Yakult Swallows this winter for all 30 MLB teams, sources told Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
The 25-year-old played 892 games during his time in Japan and hit 246 home runs with a .951 OPS, including 56 long balls in 2022 - a single-season record for a Japanese-born player. He became the youngest player in NPB history to win the league's Triple Crown that year when he accomplished the feat at age 22.
Japanese media reported this week that the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, and Seattle Mariners could be among the clubs that make a big run at Murakami, according to Feinsand.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, and San Francisco Giants could also pursue Murakami, sources told Feinsand.
Murakami won't be impacted by international bonus pool money as fellow countryman Roki Sasaki was last offseason because the former is at least 25 and reached the minimum of six seasons played in a foreign professional league. However, Murakami still has to be posted instead of going through MLB free agency because he's played fewer than nine years in NPB.
