The Boston Red Sox have another big bat to pursue on the open market.
Munetaka Murakami will officially be posted by his Japanese club on Friday, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan and multiple other reports. The 25-year-old third baseman has a 45-day window to sign with an MLB team that starts Saturday at 8 a.m. ET.
The Athletic’s Jim Bowden named Boston as a potential suitor for Murakami alongside the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Dodgers. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand also mentioned the Red Sox as a fit last month.
SNY’s Anthony McCarron predicted the Red Sox will land the left-handed slugger, who could also play first base or serve as a designated hitter.
Murakami set the Nippon Professional Baseball single-season record with 56 home runs in 2022 and deposited 246 long balls over eight seasons with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. He batted .273/.379/.663 with 22 homers in 56 games during an injury-shortened year.
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The Athletic’s Tim Britton projected an eight-year, $158.5 million deal for Murakami, which would surpass Masataka Yoshida’s five years and $90 million as the largest first contract given to a Japanese hitter.
Murakami could help fill the power void created by Boston’s unforeseen Rafael Devers trade. Trevor Story (25) and Wilyer Abreu (22) were the only Red Sox hitters to exceed 20 home runs in 2025.
Murakami joins Alex Bregman, Pete Alonso, Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suárez among MLB’s premier corner-infield free agents. He’d return to the Swallows if he doesn’t sign before his window closes on Dec. 22 at 5 p.m.
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