🔗 Share this article The White Sox Sign Star Hitter Munetaka Murakami on an Lucrative Two-Year Deal. In a major move for their rebuilding roster, the South Side team have signed Japanese star Munetaka Murakami, completing a $34 million contract bringing in the accomplished player. Deal Structure and Player Perks The contract features a substantial signing bonus, payable within 30 days, alongside salaries of sixteen million for the next season and seventeen million for the following year. Additionally, Murakami's final-year pay is subject to escalators based on award achievements in 2026: A seven-figure bonus for earning the Most Valuable Player award. $500K for finishing as runner-up or in third place in MVP voting. $250,000 for finishing between fourth and tenth. Another $250,000 for winning the Rookie of the Year honor. His deal includes that he will not be optioned to the farm system without his approval and makes him a free agent at the end of the contract. Extra provisions include a club-supplied interpreter and flight reimbursement between his home country and the States. Compensation and Franchise History As part of the signing, Chicago owes a transfer fee of $6,575,000 to the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, Murakami's longtime team in Japan's Central League. The Swallows would also receive a 15% cut of 15% triggered salary escalators. Murakami will become the fourth-ever player from Japan to represent the South Siders, joining pitcher Shingo Takatsu (2004-05), second baseman Tadahito Iguchi (2005-07), and fielder Kosuke Fukudome (2012). Interestingly, Takatsu previously coached Murakami while both were in Japan. Player Profile Murakami, a lefty bat who will turn 26 on February 2nd, enters a emerging core of hitters in Chicago that includes prospects like Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, and Chase Meidroth. The club are finished with a 60-102 season, finishing at the bottom in the American League Central but showing a notable improvement from the previous campaign. The winner of back-to-back Most Valuable Player honors in '21 and '22, Murakami is famous for a monumental 2022 season where he hit 56 home runs, breaking the single-season record for a player in Japan formerly held by legend Sadaharu Oh. That performance also made him the most youthful hitter ever to win Japan's elusive batting Triple Crown. His most recent NPB campaign was shortened to just 56 appearances due to an oblique injury. Even with recording 64 times, he still managed .273 with 22 HRs and 47 RBIs. Over his eight-year tenure with the Swallows, Murakami has accumulated a .270 lifetime batting average with 246 HRs, 647 RBI, and 977 strikeouts in 892 games. Early in his career playing mostly at first base, he has since transitioned to third. WBC Heroics Murakami's clutch hitting were on global view during the 2023 WBC. In the penultimate game against Mexico, he hit a victory-sealing two-base hit that scored Shohei Ohtani and Masataka Yoshida for a come-from-behind 6-5 victory. The next night in the final against the USA, he blasted a game-tying homer in the second inning, helping Japan's subsequent championship win. The lefty slugger is set to be unveiled at a press conference on Monday.