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In a significant move for their overhauling roster, the American League club have signed infielder Munetaka Murakami, completing a two-year contract bringing in the power-hitting player.

Financial Terms and Incentives

The deal features a $1 million signing bonus, issued within 30 days, combined with compensation of sixteen million for the next season and $17 million for the final year.

Notably, Murakami's compensation can increase based on performance achievements in 2026:

• An additional $1M for winning the Most Valuable Player award.
• Half a million dollars for placing as runner-up or in third place in MVP voting.
• A quarter-million for finishing between fourth and tenth.
• An identical bonus for being named the ROY honor.

The contract includes that he cannot be sent to the minors without his approval and makes him a free agent at the end of the contract. Additional perks include a team-provided interpreter and travel costs between the U.S. and Japan.

Transfer Payment and Team Legacy

As part of the transaction, Chicago owes a transfer fee of over $6.5 million to the Yakult Swallows, Murakami's previous team in Japan's Central League. The Japanese club would also receive a supplemental fee of any triggered salary escalators.

Murakami will become the fourth player from Japan to represent the South Siders, joining pitcher Shingo Takatsu (2004-05), infielder Tadahito Iguchi (2005-07), and outfielder Kosuke Fukudome (2012). Of note, Takatsu was a manager for Murakami while both were in Japan.

Player Profile

Murakami, a left-handed hitter who will turn 26 in February, bolsters a emerging lineup in Chicago that also features prospects like Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, and Chase Meidroth. The club are finished with a difficult season, placing at the bottom in the AL Central but representing a significant improvement from the year before campaign.

The winner of back-to-back Central League MVP honors in consecutive seasons, Murakami is renowned for a record-breaking 2022 season where he launched 56 homers, eclipsing the longstanding record for a player in Japan formerly held by legend Sadaharu Oh. That year also made him the youngest player ever to achieve Japan's prestigious Triple Crown.

His last year was curtailed to 56 games due to an oblique injury. Even with fanning 64 times, he still managed .273 with 22 home runs and 47 driven in.

Over his eight-season tenure with the Yakult club, Murakami has accumulated a .270 career batting average with 246 home runs, 647 RBI, and nearly 1,000 strikeouts in 892 games. He started playing mostly at first, he has since transitioned to third.

Global Stage Success

Murakami's big-game performance were on global view during the 2023 WBC. In the semi-final against Mexico, he hit a walk-off two-base hit that brought home teammates for a come-from-behind one-run win. The next night in the final against the United States, he slugged a equalizing homer in the early innings, helping Japan's eventual championship win.

The lefty slugger is scheduled to be officially presented at a introductory event on Monday.