By JAY COHEN
CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago White Sox added Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami to their lineup and he signed a two-year, $34 million contract with the rebuilding team.
Murakami, who turns 26 on Feb. 2, joins a promising group of young hitters that also includes Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel and Chase Meidroth. The White Sox finished last in the AL Central this year with a record of 60-102, a 19-game improvement from the previous season.
Murakami will receive a $1 million signing bonus payable within 30 days and salaries of $16 million next year and $17 million in 2027.
His 2027 salary can increase based on awards earned in 2026: 1 million for winning the MVP, 500,000 for finishing second or third in the voting, 250,000 for finishing between fourth and 10th place and 250,000 for being Rookie of the Year.
He cannot be assigned to the minor leagues without his consent and will be a free agent at the end of the contract. You also receive a team-provided interpreter and reimbursement for flights between Japan and the United States.
The White Sox owe a posting fee of $6,575,000 to Yakult, Murakami’s Central League team. The Swallows would also receive a supplemental fee of 15% of any activated increases.
Murakami was Central League MVP in 2021 and 2022. The slugger was limited to 56 games this season due to an oblique injury. He struck out 64 times, but hit .273 with 22 home runs and 47 RBIs.
Murakami hit 56 home runs in 2022 to break Sadaharu Oh’s record for a Japanese-born player in Nippon Professional Baseball, becoming the youngest player to win Japan’s Triple Crown. He surpassed 30 home runs in four consecutive years before an injury-interrupted season in 2023.
He has a career .270 average with 246 home runs, 647 RBIs and 977 strikeouts in 892 games over eight seasons in the Central League, all with the Swallows.
After primarily playing first base in 2019 and 2020, he has spent most of his time since then at third base.
In the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Murakami hit a game-ending double against Giovanny Gallegos, driving in Shohei Ohtani and Masataka Yoshida for a 6-5 semifinal victory over Mexico. The next day in the championship game, Murakami hit a game-tying home run off Merrill Kelly in the second inning and Japan ended up beating the United States 3-2.
Under the agreement between MLB and NPB, the posting fee is 20% of the first $25 million of a major league contract, including earned bonuses and options. The percentage drops to 17.5% of the next 25 million and 15% of any amount over 50 million. There is a supplemental fee of 15% of any bonuses earned, salary increases and options exercised.
___
AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report.
___
AP Sports: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.