Japanese slugger Murakami set to be posted

17 comments
  1. There is a player there but the Cubs aren’t the right team to take the jump.

    Murakami has excellent, elite batted ball and exit velocity. He absolutely crushed the ball and the power is real. He is capable of running a 30% K rate at the MLB and finding success.

    The issue is that he whiffed at 50% of breaking balls in the NPB. This is something a team will need to solve, all while giving him $16-20m a year over 6+ years. The Cubs are probably too good for having that gamble and too incapable of outspending a failed contract.

    There is a world where he turns into a very good player but the landing strip, both in team fit and capability in terms of getting him right against breaking balls, is very narrow.

  2. Didn’t the Cubs just spend an entire winter celebrating the history of their Japanese players and then they opened the season in Japan with former Japanese players who played for the Cubs in attendance? I must have hallucinated that

  3. Cubs still sending scouts to ‘Boys Town’ to maybe sign that one Jimmy Cagney looking orphan kid and turn him into a SP.

    ![gif](giphy|PtfccZBHY2VBm)

    Meanwhile the entire world has moved on to scouting in Japan.

  4. With the Dodgers picking up Max Muncy’s option yesterday, I don’t expect them to be in on Murakami; but maybe Okamoto.

  5. Feels like a squint to find a fit for him. Maybe a lefty bat platoon with Shaw, and/or some back up if Busch was injured. Shaw can back up 2nd or Short if needed for an injury to Dansby or Nico. Doesn’t sound like he’s likely to be very well suited for everyday D at 3rd, but nobody is gonna spend real money for a bench/platoon player and if we were gonna bring in a straight up DH for some reason I’d rather have Schwarber.

  6. I don’t get this meme when we have Seiya, may re-sign Shota, and have had a great ambassador in Darvish? Cubs are a great destination for Japanese players.

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