One of the best available free agents this offseason has never played a game in Major League Baseball.
His name is Munetaka Murakami, and he's a legendary Japanese slugger.
Murakami is expected to be posted this winter, according to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, and he'll have a lot of teams interested.
He's generally a third baseman, although he also has experience at first base.
The big calling card for Murakami is his power. He had a 56-home run season in 2022, the record in a single season in NPB for a Japanese-Born player. He won the Triple Crown that season at just 22 years old.
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Overall in 892 games in NPB, Murakami has hit 246 home runs.
The 6-foot-2, 213-pound lefty swinger is believed to be ready for MLB.
“He has legit power,” one scout told MLB.com. “It should translate to the Majors.”
Feinsand reported that the San Francisco Giants are among the teams who could pursue Murakami.
"The Giants, who have Matt Chapman at third base and Rafael Devers at DH, could use Murakami at first base," he writes.
It'd certainly be a strong splash for the Giants, who would send a statement to the rest of the league's financial elites that they can compete in this kind of a market, too.
It'd also create an exciting heart of the order with Devers, although it would raise the question of where top prospect Bryce Eldridge ends up.
It could get crowded, but the Giants are also in a position where they need to keep getting better. Murakami would make them better, and with that in mind, he's worth considering.
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