The Chicago Cubs have a surprising amount of heavy lifting to do this offseason when it comes to filling roster holes. One would think that a team that made it to Game Five of the NLDS would probably just need a tweak or two before going at it again the following season.
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But the Cubs will be in need of a lot as they head into 2026.
Their bullpen needs a full rebuild, as the only two relievers on their NLDS roster slated to remain a Cub in 2026 are Daniel Palencia and Ben Brown. The starting rotation is also a bit unsettled as the team declined their option on lefty Shota Imanaga and are staring down possible regression from the injury-prone Matthew Boyd and Cade Horton.
There’s also the hole to fill in right field when free agent four-time All-Star Kyle Tucker moves on to his more free-spending new home.
Then, there’s the fact that Nico Hoerner, Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Carson Kelly, Jameson Taillon, and Boyd are all set to become free agents after the coming season.
With so much uncertainty on an otherwise playoff-level roster, the pressure is on Jed Hoyer and the Cubs’ front office to make some long-term acquisitions to shore up a team with, as things look now, just a one-year window to do big things.
Looking to Japan– and Munetaka Murakami– for answers
Mar 21, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Japan third baseman Munetaka Murakami (55) hits a home run against the USA in the second inning at LoanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-USA TODAY Sports
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There’s some thought that the Cubs may dip once again into the Japanese market for a solution to their issues, looking for quality young players who can be had for a reasonable price.
One of their rumored targets is slugger Munetaka Murakami of the Yakult Swallows, who’s entry into MLB was confirmed late last week.
Signing him would be a huge, monumental, devastating mistake.
First, though, there’s the case for Chicago possibly targeting him.
The case for a Murakami-Chicago Cubs union
Aug 7, 2021; Yokohama, Japan; Team Japan infielder Munetaka Murakami (55) celebrates with teammates after hitting a solo home run against USA during the third inning in the baseball gold medal match during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games at Yokohama Baseball Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Yukihito Taguchi-USA TODAY Sports
Murakami will only be 26 on opening day and he’s regarded as one of the elite power hitters in the NPB. He’s hit 265 home runs and 170 doubles in 1,003 games over parts of 8 seasons. Metrics guys will talk up his 90th percentile exit velocity, which would place him fifth in the MLB in that category, and his remarkable hard-hit rate, which would place him above anyone in the majors.
On paper, the lefty power-bat would make sense as an incoming third baseman.
As Fox Sports recently observed:
“With Tucker theoretically gone, Murakami would keep the balance of left-handed vs. right-handed hitters in Chicago’s order intact and add even more upside to an offense primarily made up of players in its prime. Batting in an offense that’s headlined by Michael Busch, Seiya Suzuki, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Ian Happ, among others, Murakami doesn’t have to be an All-Star-caliber hitter from the jump.”
The greater case AGAINST Murakami
Mar 21, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Japan third baseman Munetaka Murakami (55) plays his position during the sixth inning against the USA at LoanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
The reality, though, is that Murakami may turn out to be a spectacular all-around fail.
As noted by New York Mets podcaster and analyst James Schiano, Murakami “had a .095 batting average against pitches 93 MPH or harder last season in NPB.”
In MLB, the average pitch velocity is 94.2 MPH.
He also struggles with secondary pitches.
Per David Adler of MLB.com:
“Murakami swung and missed at nearly half of the offspeed pitches he swung at vs. righties, and nearly two thirds of the breaking pitches he swung at vs. lefties.”
Some Murakami proponents insist that he can make technical adjustments to facilitate getting around on big league pitching and that, at his young age, he’ll adapt. But he has a career 25.2% strikeout rate in the Japanese league with that number trending overall upward over the last three seasons. To add some perspective, a 25.2% K rate would place him somewhere between Kyle Schwarber and Eugenio Suarez in that category– but he’s whiffing against generally lesser, softer-tossing Japanese pitching. Supporters point to the fact that Shohei Ohtani had similar contact metrics as a 22-year-old before making his way to the States, but Ohtani is clearly a once-in-a-lifetime talent.
Then, there’s the issue of defense, where Murakami is regarded as somewhat clumsy at third with a subpar arm. Projections place him as, ultimately, a below-average defensive first baseman who will quickly be moved over to full-time DH.
The Cubs don’t need any of the headaches Murakami would bring, especially not on a contract expected to be somewhere between 5-years, $80 million (ESPN) and 8-years, $158.5 million (The Athletic).
There’s no doubt that Murakami will hit some home runs at the major league level and make some pitchers pay dearly for mistakes. But the Cubs don’t need all of the other pitfalls involved in bringing him aboard.
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