🔗 Share this article Chicago White Sox Sign Star Hitter Munetaka Murakami on an Major Multi-Million Dollar Agreement. In a major move for their rebuilding roster, the American League club have officially added infielder Munetaka Murakami, completing a $34 million contract bringing in the high-profile player. Financial Terms and Added Benefits The contract features a substantial signing bonus, to be paid within 30 days, combined with annual pay of $16M for the next season and $17M for the 2027 year. Importantly, Murakami's final-year pay can increase based on performance achievements in 2026: $1 million for winning the Most Valuable Player award. $500,000 for finishing second or third in MVP voting. A quarter-million for finishing in the top ten. An identical bonus for winning the Rookie of the Year honor. His deal also stipulates that he will not be optioned to the minors without his permission and grants him a unrestricted player at the end of the deal. Additional perks include a dedicated interpreter and airfare between the U.S. and Japan. Compensation and Historical Context As part of the signing, Chicago must pay a compensation payment of roughly $6.58 million to the Swallows, Murakami's longtime team in Japan's Central League. The Swallows are also entitled to a supplemental fee of any triggered salary escalators. Murakami is set to become the fourth-ever Japanese-born to play for the Chicago franchise, in the footsteps of reliever Shingo Takatsu (2004-05), second baseman Tadahito Iguchi (2005-07), and fielder Kosuke Fukudome (2012). Of note, Takatsu once managed Murakami back in Japan. Player Profile Murakami, a lefty bat who will turn 26 soon, bolsters a young core of hitters in Chicago that also features prospects like Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, and Chase Meidroth. The team are finished with a last-place season, placing last in the American League Central but showing a 19-game improvement from the year before campaign. Having earned Most Valuable Player honors in '21 and '22, Murakami is renowned for a monumental 2022 season where he belted 56 home runs, surpassing the all-time record for a Japanese-born player previously held by icon Sadaharu Oh. That year also made him the most youthful hitter ever to win Japan's elusive Triple Crown. His most recent NPB campaign was shortened to a partial schedule due to an oblique injury. Despite striking out often, he still managed .273 with 22 homers and 47 driven in. Over his career tenure with the Swallows, Murakami has posted a .270 lifetime batting average with 246 HRs, 647 runs batted in, and 977 strikeouts in 892 games. Initially playing primarily at first base, he has more recently played to third. Global Stage Success Murakami's clutch hitting were on center stage during the 2023 WBC. In the penultimate game against Mexico, he hit a victory-sealing two-base hit that drove in teammates for a come-from-behind 6-5 win. The very next day in the title match against the USA, he slugged a tying homer in the second inning, setting the stage for Japan's eventual championship win. The power hitter is slated to be unveiled at a media availability on the coming Monday.