Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Japanese infielder Munetaka Murakami has been a central point around the MLB offseason since he was posted to come to the United States a few weeks ago. Murakami is seen by many around the game as a potential, future All-Star talent, and there have been a few teams linked to him.

Many have speculated that Murakami could join the Los Angeles Dodgers this offseason, in part because of the influx of Japanese talent that Los Angeles already has. But where things stand for the Dodgers, they don’t have room or a need to add Murakami to the mix.

This isn’t to say that the Dodgers won’t sign him, but there may be a better fit on another team for the Japanese slugger. There are multiple teams in the mix to sign Murakami this winter, and we could see a small bidding war break out.

But where the third baseman will land remains up in the air, even with the limited time that teams have to sign him. However, with the deadline, it also puts more urgency into clubs to make competitive offers to Murakami and his representatives.

However, even with all the hype around Murakami, there are some concerns as well, like any player coming over to the big leagues. Murakami has heavily struggled with hitting velocity, striking out 41.7 percent of the time against fastballs faster than 93 mph.

Some teams may be wary of offering him a large deal due to this, especially since they would also have to pay his NPB team a posting fee. But Murakami also has plenty of accomplishments to negate this.

The infielder won the MVP award in the Central League at just 21 years old, showing his overall potential. Murakami then followed that year up with an even stronger one, winning the Triple Crown in the process.

During the 2022 season, Murakami slashed .318/.458/.710 with 56 home runs, while also breaking a record for most home runs by a Japanese player. There is a lot to like about the slugger, and it could see him be a highly sought-after name on the open market this offseason.

This is just a prediction, NOT a report!

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One team that is expected to be a big player to land Murakami this year is the San Francisco Giants. San Francisco has tried to lure players to the team in free agency over the past few years, but it has been unsuccessful for the most part.

But this team does need some help on offense, and the overall potential of Murakami could be intriguing. The Giants have been rumored to be prioritizing pitching in free agency, but getting a talent like Murakami into the mix could be special for them.

San Francisco could put him next to Rafael Devers, Willy Adames, and others, giving them a much more lethal attack to work with. Murakami could learn from someone like Devers, giving him an All-Star mentor.

All in all, the Giants make a lot of sense to go after Murakami, and he could be a big piece to this team moving forward. The Giants have to do something big this year, and adding one of the more talented Japanese players to come over could be the way to go.