The top of the free-agent hitting market just got a bit more interesting, as ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports that Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami will be posted by the Yakult Swallows on Friday. The 25-year-old Murakami has been NPB’s premier power hitter since breaking into the league as a teenager, launching 246 homers over eight seasons. The best of those came in 2022, when he hit 56 homers to break the legendary Sadaharu Oh’s single-season record. Between that power and his relative youth, it’s believed Murakami could land a deal approaching $200 million.
There is, however, serious potential for him to struggle with strikeouts in MLB.