One of the most exciting free agents on the market this offseason was supposed to be Munetaka Murakami.
He's a Japanese slugger who hit 56 home runs back in the 2022 season, an NPB record for a Japanese-born player.
But so far, two-thirds of the way into his month of availability to be signed after being posted, Murakami doesn't have a contract. And on the busy rumor mill, it feels like there's pretty much no chatter about him.
Murakami has 10 days left, as of Friday, and fans on social media are starting to wonder what's going on.
So uh Munetaka Murakami has to sign in the next 10 days and it feels like no one's talking about him? What's the deal?
— Max Mannis (@MaxMannis) December 12, 2025
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What's going on with Munetaka Murakami?
Most likely, this is just the contract negotiation process taking its course.
Murakami, as a corner infielder, likely has his market impacted to some extent by Pete Alonso, who has signed, and Alex Bregman, who remains a free agent.
Teams could want to see if they landed one of those guys before considering Murakami.
He could also have come onto the market seeking more money than teams want to give him. There is swing-and-miss risk in his profile, which could create a disconnect in perceived value.
For teams that were hoping to be in the running for Murakami, fans certainly wouldn't mind getting at least a little news from an insider in the next few days, just to know what's going on.
There's still time, though, and his market will have no choice but to get rolling soon.
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