The Boston Red Sox haven’t been doing much on the Alex Bregman front, and it may come back to bite them. If they don’t retain him, they’ll need to find a suitable replacement to keep fans, and the team itself happy.
Luckily for them, one of the bigger names on the market might have become much more available, at least for Boston. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the market for NPB superstar Munetaka Murakami is dwindling, and he might have to settle for a short-term deal.
MORE: Red Sox get worrying update regarding superstar Alex Bregman's return to Boston
For Imai and corner infielder Kazuma Okamoto, the window is closing. For Munetaka Murakami, it's almost shut…Even with the concerns, Murakami could find himself signing a long-term deal for the sort of price that locks him up through his prime years. If a shorter-term, big-dollar deal that allowed Murakami to hit the market again while still in his 20s were presented, he could potentially position himself to reenter free agency having answered the questions teams had and getting the sort of megadeal that is unlikely to greet him now,” Passan wrote.
In his eight seasons in the NPB, Murakami slashed.273/.394/.550/.945 with 170 doubles, 265 home runs, and 722 RBI in 1003 games played. Offensively, he would be a perfect replacement for Bregman.
This works out for the Sox, because they’ve shown they don’t really have any interest in handing out long-term deals to free agents. If they can get Murakami on a short-term deal, have him prove himself, and then offer an extension, that would be perfect for how their front office operates.
Hopefully, the Sox do retain Bregman, as he is an invaluable part of their team. However, if they can replace him with Murakami or land both, it would be a major win.
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