If the Seattle Mariners let Eugenio Suarez walk in free agency, they'll have an opening to fill at third base.
And while there a few in-house options, there's also an exciting choice on the open market: Munetaka Murakami.
He's a Japanese superstar who is coming to MLB this offseason, and he plays third base.
And oh yeah, he hits home runs. Lots of them. He holds the single-season NPB record for home runs by a Japanese player, with 56.
ESPN's David Schoenfield named the Mariners the best fit for Murakami:
"A big left-handed slugger, Murakami has been a star in Japan since he hit 36 home runs as a 19-year-old in 2019. He followed that up with a career-high 56 home runs in 2022. He missed time this past season with an oblique injury but hit 24 home runs in 69 games. He does strike out a concerning amount -- 168 times in 140 games in 2023 and 180 times in 143 games in 2024 -- so projects as more of a low-average, 30-homer slugger. Murakami's defense is considered below average at both corner positions, but his age helps make him an attractive free agent. We mentioned Colt Emerson as a replacement for Eugenio Suarez at third base for the Mariners, but a year in Triple-A wouldn't hurt, and Emerson could then take over at shortstop in 2027. That leaves Murakami as a fit for third base, or a backup option to Josh Naylor at first base. The Mariners have certainly shown they're OK with strikeouts if it comes with power."
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Suarez hit 49 home runs this past season, 36 of those with the Diamondbacks and then 13 after coming to Seattle at the trade deadline.
It's certainly a spot the Mariners wouldn't mind keeping a lot of power at. Murakami would provide that in a way that Ben Williamson wouldn't.
Schoenfield sees one main obstacle to the Mariners getting Murakami, and that's the Los Angeles Dodgers.
"Hey, you have to consider the Dodgers a possibility for any Japanese player," Schoenfield writes. "They obviously have Freddie Freeman locked into first base and have a $10 million option on Max Muncy, but note that Murakami did play a few games in the outfield in 2025. Given their hole in left field, maybe they fake left-field defense with Murakami for a year and then have him replace Muncy at third base in 2027."
If the Mariners can hold off the Dodgers, they'll have a chance to make one of the best signings of the offseason.
More MLB rumors:
- Dodgers, Giants predicted to battle for $400 million free agent superstar
- Eugenio Suarez is looking at 5 possible landing spots
- Pete Alonso seems likely to stay in the NL East