The Miami Marlins have a lot of decisions coming up this offseason in terms of the roster for 2026 and beyond.

The Marlins are reportedly looking to spend more this winter, but there are still decisions to which, if any, key players might be traded this offseason. Most of those rumors surround pitchers Edward Cabrera and Sandy Alcantara.

As far as constructing the roster off the mound, Miami could use some pop from either corner infield spot, and there are several potential options. Some may be out of the Marlins’ price range, but there is one that is an interesting one: Munetaka Murakami. He was recently listed as a perfect fit for Miami by Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report.

Munetaka Murakami Listed as a Perfect Free Agent Fit For Marlins

Murakami is a prototypical power-hitter. He hit 56 home runs in 2022 in the Nippon Professional Baseball, which was a record for a Japan-born player. This past season, he slashed .286/.392/.659 with 24 home runs in 263 at-bats in 69 games. If there is one drawback to him, it’s his high strikeout numbers, which he did 28.6% of the time this past season. That came in a league that has an average of 18% of the time.

According to Rymer, that’s where the Marlins come in. As he noted, Miami had a 20.3% strikeout percentage this year that was the fourth-lowest in MLB. However, they also lacked power numbers by hitting just the fourth-fewest homers in the league. Only the San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardinals, and Pittsburgh Pirates hit fewer.

Rymer noted that the Marlins need someone to drive home runs the easy way, and Murakami fits that bill. One priority for Miami this offseason is figuring out a way to spend money to add offensive production and power, but will they be able to outbid other teams for the 25-year-old?

The Marlins and Kyle Stowers are reportedly far apart in contract extension talks after his breakout 2025 season, which saw him as a finalist for a Silver Slugger Award and a Gold Glove Award. Stowers led Miami with 25 home runs, with Augustin Ramirez second with 21. Otto Lopez had 15, while Jesus Sanchez and Heriberto Hernandez were the only other players with double-figures in homers with 10.

Just how much Miami spends in free agency remains to be seen, but to get a player to help their offense, they’ll need to spend money. Murakami makes sense as a fit in South Florida to fill a need.

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