The San Diego Padres have been one of the more interesting teams this offseason. While they've yet to make any major moves, the Padres have been rumored to be in a lot of interesting trade talks.
Mason Miller, Jeremiah Estrada, Adrian Morejon, Ramon Laureano, Jake Cronenworth, and Nick Pivetta have all been rumored to be in trade talks. It's a sign the Padres are trying to cut down their payroll to some degree.
And yet, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports that the Padres could be a suitor for a top Japanese slugger, Munetaka Murakami, this winter. With an approaching deadline to sign, Murakami might wind up taking a smaller deal, which would be right up the Padres' alley.
Padres' surprise suitors for Munetaka Murakami
"Although there has been little buzz surrounding potential suitors for Murakami, there are a handful that could make sense," Feinsand writes. "The Padres have Jake Cronenworth - a constant subject of trade rumors - penciled in at first base, and San Diego's lineup had the third-lowest strikeout rate in the majors in 2025."
Murakami could come to San Diego on a short-term deal to prove his worth in the Majors for a season or two, then hit free agency again while still only 27 years old and seek a much larger, long-term deal.
His market has been dead-silent all winter, with no teams emerging as interested, or even linked by insiders to Murakami. It's all been speculation, as is the case with this Padres connection.
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But, amid such a quiet market, the Padres and A.J. Preller have the means to pounce. A cheaper Murakami is worth a stab for the Padres, especially since it would likely coincide with the departure of Cronenworth.
The Padres are going to have some open roster spots soon, and adding Murakami to the lineup could make the potential sky-high, even if the floor is incredibly low.
The 25-year-old slugger has hit 56 home runs in his NPB career before, and is a career.945 OPS hitter in his professional career. While he might not transition to the Major League as well, for the Padres, especially on a discount, it makes a lot of sense.
San Diego is a surprise suitor for Murakami, as Feinsand tabs them as a team that could benefit from his weaker free agent market this winter.
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