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In a notable move for their retooling roster, the South Side team have signed Japanese star Munetaka Murakami, completing a lucrative contract for the accomplished player.

Contract Details and Incentives

The deal grants a substantial signing bonus, payable within 30 days, alongside salaries of sixteen million for the upcoming season and seventeen million for the 2027 year.

Importantly, Murakami's final-year pay can increase based on performance achievements in 2026:

• A seven-figure bonus for being named the league MVP award.
• Half a million dollars for placing in the top three in MVP voting.
• $250,000 for placing in the top ten.
• $250,000 for winning the Rookie of the Year honor.

His deal includes that he will not be optioned to the farm system without his consent and makes him a free agent at the termination of the term. Additional perks include a club-supplied interpreter and travel costs between Japan and the U.S..

Transfer Payment and Historical Context

As part of the acquisition, Chicago is obligated to provide a posting fee of $6,575,000 to the Swallows, Murakami's former team in Japan's NPB. The Japanese club are also entitled to a supplemental fee of 15% triggered performance bonuses.

Murakami will become the fourth-ever Japanese to suit up for the Chicago franchise, joining reliever Shingo Takatsu (2004-05), second baseman Tadahito Iguchi (2005-07), and fielder Kosuke Fukudome (2012). Of note, Takatsu once managed Murakami back in Japan.

Player Profile

Murakami, a lefty bat who will turn 26 in February, bolsters a young lineup in Chicago that contains prospects like Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, and Chase Meidroth. The team are coming off a last-place season, placing last in the American League Central but representing a significant improvement from the previous campaign.

A two-time Central League MVP honors in '21 and '22, Murakami is renowned for a record-breaking 2022 season where he hit 56 home runs, eclipsing the longstanding record for a player in Japan previously held by icon Sadaharu Oh. That performance also made him the youngest player ever to secure Japan's coveted batting Triple Crown.

His last year was shortened to just 56 appearances due to an muscle issue. Despite fanning 64 Ks, he hit .273 with 22 home runs and 47 runs batted in.

Over his career tenure with the Swallows, Murakami has accumulated a .270 career batting average with 246 home runs, 647 runs batted in, and 977 strikeouts in 892 games. He started playing mostly at first base, he has more recently played to the hot corner.

International Pedigree

Murakami's clutch hitting were on full display during the 2023 World Baseball Classic. In the semi-final against Mexico, he hit a walk-off double that drove in Shohei Ohtani and Masataka Yoshida for a come-from-behind 6-5 victory. The very next day in the championship game against the Team USA, he blasted a game-tying home run in the second inning, paving the way for Japan's eventual championship win.

The lefty slugger is slated to be unveiled at a introductory event on the coming Monday.