Munetaka Murakami was meant to be the Pete Alonso replacement New York Mets fans would accept. Instead, on a much shorter and affordable contract, he’ll play for the Chicago White Sox and try to prove all of his doubters wrong. Has there been a free agent hyped as much as him only to see his contract dwindle from a rebel yell to a child’s whimper?
At two-years and $34 million, the White Sox got Murakami for $6 million less than the Mets did Jorge Polanco. The two are very different even if some qualities match. Murakami offers much less defensive versatility while the Mets may be thinking putting Polanco at first base can actually translate well after years of being a bad defensive player at other infield positions.
Clearly, the Mets don’t believe in what FanGraphs has projected for the pair because Murakami is both the more affordable and better player based on what the Steamer machine has declared.
Munetaka Murakami is projected to have a better year than Jorge Polanco and at a cheaper rate
A 2 WAR for Murakami vs 1.7 for Polanco, 118 wRC+ vs. 116, and wOBA of .340 vs. .332 are just some of the conglomerative statistics where Murakami comes out on top in the projected numbers for 2026. The Japanese star is projected to bat .230/.333/.458 with 30 home runs and 75 RBI. Polanco’s numbers say .249/.327/.438 with 19 home runs and 61 RBI.
The difference isn’t remarkable. Polanco’s proven abilities to hit MLB pitching and history playing more than first base might, by itself, be worth the extra $6 million in salary the Mets are paying him as opposed to Murakami. They know what to expect out of Polanco. Murakami, however, has an incredible upside that will reasonably surpass or fall well short of what Steamer says. The White Sox will actually top the $40 million with a $6.575 posting fee to Murakami’s former ball club in Japan, the Yakult Swallows.
For a team that often operates on a value basis on practically every player, it’s still a little stunning the Mets didn’t end up backing into a contract with him when there’s a clear need for power missing and room on the roster. One would guess they’re just turned off by the floor of what he can turn into. He already drew comparisons to several ex-Mets players, including J.D. Davis, Jose Siri, and Keon Broxton.
No one knows for sure what Murakami will end up doing. Based on all of the uncertainty, a much better or worse season than what these numbers project is a safe guess.