Japanese slugger and coveted free agent Munetaka Murakami was posted by the Nippon Professional Baseball league early Friday morning. The window, open from Nov. 8 to Dec. 22, allows teams a 45-day period to negotiate and sign with the Japanese league MVP.
3B/1B Munetaka Murakami will be posted today by the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of the Nippon Professional Baseball League per multiple reports including MLB’s @Feinsand. All 30 MLB Clubs will have 45 days to negotiate with Murakami.
The 25-year-old slugger was the Central League’s… pic.twitter.com/AnPj8TpiC2
— MLB (@MLB) November 7, 2025
Several teams, most of them big-market names and World Series contenders, will aim to win Murakami’s services for the 2026 season. Among the teams vying for the third baseman is the New York Yankees, who always seem to be in the mix for any free agent, like the Los Angeles Dodgers. The team has an open vacancy at first base with the departure of Paul Goldschmidt, and they need another left-handed power bat in their lineup.
There is one glaring issue with the team, among other problems, that might prevent New York from signing Murakami. It’s an obvious issue, but one that might lead to something very intriguing down the line.
Ben Rice Makes The Murakami Dream Difficult 
Oct 5, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice (22) hits a two-RBI double in the seventh inning against the Toronto Blue Jays during game two of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Rogers Centre.
John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
The 26-year-old first baseman came to the forefront of the Yankees’ future in 2023 after posting a head-turning .324/.434/1.048 slash line with 20 home runs across three levels. Rice only got better in 2024, when he slugged 24 home runs in 80 games, along with 57 walks.
Rice’s career started slow when he was called to the major leagues last year, hitting below the Mendoza line and showing a strikeout problem. He turned the corner in 2025, hitting .255 while also slugging 26 home runs and holding an OPS at .836. His strikeout rate also went below 20%, and his hard-hit percentage increased above 50%, cementing him as a power bat in a lefty-friendly stadium.
When looking at his Baseball Savant page, Rice’s bat is in the 90th percentile or better when discussing his hard-hit and sweet spot percentage. His exit velocity of 93 MPH is in the 95th percentile, and his chase rate is a healthy 21%. A 26-year-old with that kind of power and plate discipline would thrive in New York thanks to the short porch.
That could be due to Rice’s addition of 10 pounds of muscle mass and overall weight during the 2024-25 offseason. He also swung the bat two miles per hour more than in 2024, and hosted a more open stance. Whatever the secret was, it worked.
Rice is also under team control until 2031, with arbitration starting in 2028. The Yankees might not want to give up someone who hits the ball well and is under control for a player who would cost way more and hasn’t played in the MLB.
The Payroll Forbids Murakami 
Aug 16, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Aaron Judge (99 and Giancarlo Stanton (27) celebrate after the Yankees defeated the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
It’s unclear what exactly Murakami’s camp will ask for during negotiations, but experts put it at the five-year range, and priced between $80 million and $140 million. That would put the annual average value between $16 million and just under $30 million. The Yankees cannot afford that at all.
New York hosts five massive contracts in Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, and Giancarlo Stanton. When including all contracts, the team instantly runs out of tax space at a $261 million payroll.
It would also be a challenge to find a suitor for Stanton’s massive contract, given his injury history and age. In addition, Murakami’s price is sure to increase dramatically once teams start bidding and pricing everyone else out. Hal Steinbrenner is known to be more fiscally conservative than his father, so the limit is very strict, if there even is one at all.
Simply put, there is no room on the payroll to put Murakami on this roster.
Could This Result In A Blockbuster Trade?
There are some names the Yankees could move to satisfy space for a Murakami signing. One of them includes bumping Jazz Chisholm Jr. to another team or trading away a series of bullpen arms during the offseason.
Chisholm is under team control until 2027, which does make him somewhat lucrative for teams looking to upgrade. At the same time, his 31 home runs in 2025 showed a continuing increase in his power abilities along with his baserunning. He did get caught stealing eight times and had a questionable out on the basepaths this year, but he can be shopped around.
If New York were to trade Chisholm himself, it would free up $11.7 million in tax space for the team. They might also consider shopping Camilo Doval to make more room at a $5.5 million clip. That should be enough to afford the low-end of Murakami’s offerings. That’s in an idealistic world, though, for the Yankees.
Ryan McMahon isn’t likely going anywhere either, so the options are very limited for New York to make a Murakami signing happen.
End Of My Munetaka Murakami Rant
Murakami has the makings of being a star player if everything pans out well. His upside is fantastic, especially with his power ceiling and getting on base. For the Yankees to afford him, it would take a lot of shifting, moving players to get him to fit. Realistically, it looks unlikely the team will sign him. Expect the team to pivot elsewhere, especially in terms of pitching and the outfield.