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In a significant move for their retooling roster, the Chicago White Sox have signed infielder Munetaka Murakami, finalizing a two-year contract for the accomplished player.

Contract Details and Incentives

The deal grants a seven-figure signing bonus, to be paid within 30 days, in addition to salaries of $16M for the 2026 season and seventeen million for the 2027 year.

Additionally, Murakami's 2027 salary may grow based on accolade achievements in 2026:

• $1 million for winning the MVP award.
• $500,000 for finishing as runner-up or in third place in MVP voting.
• $250,000 for ranking in the top ten.
• An identical bonus for earning the Rookie of the Year honor.

His deal also stipulates that he cannot be assigned to the minors without his consent and grants him a unrestricted player at the end of the deal. Extra provisions include a dedicated interpreter and airfare between Japan and the U.S..

Compensation and Franchise History

As part of the signing, Chicago owes a transfer fee of over $6.5 million to the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, Murakami's former team in Japan's NPB. The Japanese club get a supplemental fee of fifteen percent triggered incentive payments.

Murakami joins the ranks as the fourth Japanese-born to suit up for the Chicago franchise, joining pitcher Shingo Takatsu (2004-05), second baseman Tadahito Iguchi (2005-07), and outfielder Kosuke Fukudome (2012). Notably, Takatsu was a manager for Murakami while both were in Japan.

Career Highlights

Murakami, a left-handed hitter who turns 26 on February 2nd, bolsters a promising lineup in Chicago that also features prospects like Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, and Chase Meidroth. The team are coming off a 60-102 season, finishing at the bottom in the American League Central but representing a significant improvement from the prior campaign.

The winner of back-to-back Most Valuable Player honors in '21 and '22, Murakami is renowned for a record-breaking 2022 season where he launched 56 homers, surpassing the all-time record for a player in Japan previously held by icon Sadaharu Oh. That year also made him the youngest player ever to win Japan's prestigious batting Triple Crown.

His last year was limited to just 56 appearances due to an side strain. Despite striking out often, he hit .273 with 22 homers and 47 runs batted in.

Over his career tenure with the Swallows, Murakami has accumulated a .270 batting average with 246 HRs, 647 RBI, and 977 strikeouts in 892 games. Early in his career playing primarily at first, he has since transitioned to third.

International Pedigree

Murakami's big-game performance were on center stage during the last World Baseball Classic. In the penultimate game against Mexico, he drove in a walk-off two-base hit that scored two fellow Japanese stars for a come-from-behind 6-5 victory. The following day in the final against the United States, he hit a tying homer in the second inning, helping Japan's subsequent championship win.

The new White Sox addition is scheduled to be officially presented at a press conference on the coming Monday.