CHICAGO — The last time the White Sox held an offseason press conference for a free-agent signing was Jan. 4, 2023 when they introduced Andrew Benintendi, who signed the biggest free-agent contract in franchise history.

The Sox thought he was the hitter to help them get their mojo back after a bad season. Three seasons later, Benintendi has compiled 0.6 WAR, according to Baseball-Reference, and, well … you know what happened to the team.

Staring in 2023, the Sox’s competitive window slammed shut, severing fingers and careers. The house around the window also imploded. But the wreckage has finally been cleared and the organization is starting to see results from another rebuild.

Sure, they’ve lost at least 100 games in each of the last three seasons, including a record-setting 121 two years ago, but last season wasn’t embarrassing at all. At least by Sox standards. At times, it was downright interesting, especially when rookie Colson Montgomery showed up and starting hitting homers.

Once again, a youth movement is afoot on the South Side, but while it doesn’t feel like the Sox are close to national relevance, they’re not as far away as they were a year ago. They even won the No. 1 pick in the 2026 MLB Draft at draft lottery that took place at the Winter Meetings earlier this month.

That’s progress.

Still, no one was expecting them to sign 25-year-old Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami to a two-year, $34 million deal this past weekend. After all, The Athletic’s Tim Britton projected Murakami would earn an eight-year deal worth $158.5 million before free agency began, and he wasn’t alone among those predicting Murakami would sign a long-term deal that reached six figures. But his free-agent market seemed slow to develop and last week our Will Sammon predicted Murakami would sign a short-term, prove-it kind of deal to show that he could really hit MLB pitching and find a spot defensively in the field.

“White Sox nation, you guys are in my heart.”

Munetaka Murakami introduces himself to White Sox fans 🥹🫶 pic.twitter.com/mi7vli74vQ

— White Sox on CHSN (@CHSN_WhiteSox) December 22, 2025

It just kind of worked out like that. And so on Monday, the Sox introduced Murakami at the rarely used interview room at Rate Field. They even had him sign a contract in front of the cameras, just in case anyone didn’t believe this was really happening.

Murakami, the home run king of Japan, signing with the White Sox, the losing kings of baseball. Huh.

“Obviously I’ve heard that this club has lost a lot of games in the past, but that is in the past,” Murakami said through an interpreter. “I only look forward. I’m excited with the exciting young players that this club has and I’m ready to take on that challenge, to grow with the group and try to hope to build something really special here.”

Of course, he only signed a two-year deal because the market cooled on him so severely that a baseball executive for another team described the temperature to me as “Greenland.” But there’s no anonymous GM hyperbole needed. Money talks and Murakami’s market answered with a two-year deal and one of the worst teams in baseball. The Sox have a lot of hope and very little money.

White Sox general manager Chris Getz and Murakami’s agent Casey Close said the Sox had shown their interest early on, but it wasn’t until Thursday that the GM thought his team had a chance. Murakami was posted by the Tokyo Yakult Swallows on Nov. 7 and had 45 days to sign. The deadline was Monday. He signed on Sunday.

“The posting window played a part,” Getz said. “It was getting closer. And so the conversations began to heat up and thankfully we were able to get to the finish line. I would say Thursday night is the first signal that OK, we might be able to get this done.”

Both Getz and Close said there were other offers out there for Murakami and stressed the fit in Chicago, a team willing to play him every day that has a home ballpark with an inviting right field for a left-handed slugger who hit 246 homers over the past eight seasons in Japan, including a record-breaking 56 in 2022 when he won the NPB’s Triple Crown. He led that league in homers, RBI, walks, slugging percentage and OPS (.979) in that span.

So why exactly is he here playing on a two-year deal?

Well, there are questions about his strikeout rate, his contact, his ability to adjust to tougher MLB pitching and his defense. As for latter concern, Getz said he’ll play first base and could work out at third base, where he played the most in Japan. But Getz is not in the position to nitpick about Murakami’s offensive weaknesses when last year’s home-run leader for the Sox was Lenyn Sosa.

Munetaka Murakami is the author of one of the most cinematic moments in WBC history. 🇯🇵

Enjoy, White Sox fans.
Look away, Mexico fans. pic.twitter.com/6hJB5IXqRH

— Shawn Spradling (@Shawn_Spradling) December 21, 2025

“It starts with what makes Mune so attractive, you look at the bat speed, you look at the engine, you look at the swing decisions, the power output, it’s significant,” Getz said. “And yeah, there’s been some conversations about contact and swing-and-miss. Often times swing-and-miss comes with a lot of the power. … We’re going to guide him to improve the areas that need to be improved. It might be the contact ability, it might be on the defensive side.”

Both Getz and Close admitted this is less of a long-term marriage and more of a mutually beneficial relationship between a guy who needs to show what he can do against MLB pitching and a team desperate for power and relevance.

“It’s an opportunity for us to provide a runway to a really talented player in the city of Chicago,” Getz said. “That was really attractive to us. Knowing that there’s only upside in this, because you’re looking at someone that’s going to help our young players develop, it’s a chance for him to show Major League Baseball what he’s capable of doing and positive things will come from that. That’s the way I’m viewing it this deal.”

“I think there are natural concerns from players that are coming over here, for any foreign player, based upon whether it’s a hitter or a pitcher,” Close said. “So I think this provided us an opportunity to go back out in the market and for him to kind of demonstrate those abilities over the next couple years.”

Still, this is a deal you can describe as a “win-win.” The Sox drew under 1.5 million last season, their fledgling RSN needs subscribers and their official radio station barely mentions them. The Sox were on the come up five years ago and now they’re back to touting the potential of prospects. While everyone is waiting on minority owner Justin Ishbia to take control of the team, it’ll likely be a few years. They need to sell tickets, jerseys and hope in the meantime.

Getz said that White Sox Executive Vice President, Chief Revenue/Marketing Officer Brooks Boyer helped sell Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf on the deal. While Boyer demurred on his involvement, he said he’s already talked to his peers with the Los Angeles Dodgers for advice on signing Japanese marketing deals. Murakami, who will miss most of spring training to play in the World Baseball Classic, was a big deal in Japan and he could be huge on the South Side too.

And even if that doesn’t happen, fans still like to see home runs sail into the outfield. Murakami might whiff a lot, but he will hit some dingers. He seems like a fun dude, too, and that helps.

“The chance to bring in Mune is something that’s beyond just the baseball player, it’s the person,” Getz said. “We’re talking about someone that’s a superstar in Japan. To be able to have him now wear a White Sox uniform, it cannot be understated (sic) how significant that is.”

You can’t overstate it either. The Sox needed a guy like Murakami and he needed a chance.