It's no secret that the Philadelphia Phillies have been trying to get a foothold in the Japanese baseball market for years now. So far, their attempts have come up empty, aside from a failed minor league signing last winter. This offseason, the Phillies front office is back at it showing interest in multiple players in the Pacific Rim, including going after slugger Munetaka Murakami.
The Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) posted Murakami on Nov. 8 and he has already received interest from multiple clubs. The Phillies are one of those teams pushing to sign the 25-year-old corner infielder within the 45-day negotiating window.