Munetaka Murakami hit 36 homers as a 19-year-old in 2019, then set the NPB single-season record with 56 dingers three years later. Contract projections ranged as high as $180 million over eight years, and even the most conservative estimate had him earning $80 million for five years. But as concerns over his defense and whiff rate overcame the desire for what at least one exec believes is 90-grade power — which is to say Kyle Schwarber levels — Murakami’s market cratered.
That’s why, rather than heading back to Japan, he settled for a deal with the White Sox for $34 million over two years.