NEW YORK — The Yankees watched. They scouted. They analyzed every swing. And then they let Munetaka Murakami walk right past them.
The Japanese slugger signed with the Chicago White Sox on Sunday for two years and $34 million. That price tag stunned the baseball world. It should have been a no-brainer for a team like New York. It was not.
Brian Cashman and his staff tracked Murakami for years. They saw him crush 56 home runs in 2022. They watched his heroics in the World Baseball Classic. They knew his power could light up the short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium. But when the deadline arrived on December 22, the Yankees stood on the sidelines while a rebuilding franchise scooped up the prize.
The decision reveals something bigger. New York chose caution over ambition. They chose their current roster over a potential superstar. And now they must hope that gamble pays off while Bellinger remains their primary outfield target.
The strikeout concerns that scared teams away
Murakami’s power is undeniable. His 265 career home runs in Japan speak for themselves. His Triple Crown in 2022 put him on the global stage. But the numbers underneath told a different story.
MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand detailed the concerns that plagued teams throughout the negotiation process.
“If there’s a potential red flag for Major League teams, it’s Murakami’s strikeout rate, which has risen significantly over the past three seasons,” Feinsand wrote. “He whiffed in more than 30 percent of his at-bats during his first two seasons, but he lowered that rate between 20.9 and 22.3 percent from 2020-22. The past three seasons, that rate has increased again between 28.1 and 29.5 percent, including 180 strikeouts in 610 plate appearances in 2024.”
Those numbers look even worse when viewed through another lens. His in-zone contact rate dropped from 77.1 percent in 2022 to just 72.6 percent in 2025. The MLB average sits at 82.5 percent. For context, Joey Gallo’s career mark is 70.6 percent.
Murakami also struggled against high-velocity fastballs. He hit just .095 against pitches of 93 mph or harder last season. The average MLB fastball now sits at 94.1 mph. That disconnect worried scouts across the league.
The roster logjam in the Bronx
Beyond the swing-and-miss concerns, the Yankees faced a practical problem. Where would Murakami play?
Ben Rice cemented himself at first base after hitting .255 with 26 home runs in 2025. His emergence as a legitimate offensive threat made him part of the long-term plan. Giancarlo Stanton’s massive contract still occupies the designated hitter spot for at least two more years.
At third base, Ryan McMahon provides Gold Glove-caliber defense after arriving in a trade from Colorado. His bat never caught fire after the deadline. He hit just .208/.308/.333 in 54 games as a Yankee. But his glove proved vital during the playoff stretch.
Scouts viewed Murakami as a first baseman despite spending most of his NPB career at third. His defensive limitations created a mismatch for a team already carrying two left-handed corner bats.
Bellinger remains the top priority
While the Yankees passed on Murakami, they continue pursuing Cody Bellinger in free agency. The former MVP hit 29 home runs with an .813 OPS for New York in 2025 before opting out of his contract.
Bellinger represents a safer bet. He has proven he can handle MLB pitching. He has shown he can thrive in the Bronx spotlight. He provides both outfield coverage and lineup flexibility.
The Bellinger pursuit explains why Cashman showed restraint on Murakami. Committing $34 million to an unproven commodity while chasing a potential $180 million deal for Bellinger made little financial sense. The Yankees chose the known quantity over the unknown.
Kyle Tucker also remains on the radar as another outfield option. If the Yankees land either Bellinger or Tucker, they would have little use for Murakami anyway.
Why Chicago made more sense for Murakami
The White Sox offered something the Yankees could not. They offered patience. They offered time.
Chicago finished with the worst record in baseball three straight years. They hold the top pick in the 2026 Draft. They have nothing but runway ahead of them.
Murakami can adjust to MLB pitching without pressure to produce immediately. He can experiment at first base without costing a contender games. He can build confidence before the stakes get high.
The two-year deal also works in his favor. If he proves himself, he hits free agency again at 27. That timeline could set him up for a massive payday in 2027.
The Yankees can still monitor from afar
Passing on Murakami now does not close the door forever. The short contract means he could become available again soon.
If McMahon struggles in 2026, the Yankees could pivot. If Rice regresses, they could reassess. If Murakami proves his power translates against big league pitching, New York could make a serious push when he hits the market again.
For now, the Yankees will focus on landing Bellinger and building around their current core. They will watch Murakami from a distance. They will hope they made the right call.
A pattern of missing on Japanese stars
This marks another chapter in the Yankees‘ complicated history with Japanese talent. They pursued Shohei Ohtani aggressively in 2017. His representatives quickly shut that down.
Cashman acknowledged at the time that being a big market worked against them.
“I started getting a feel that wasn’t good a few days ago,” Cashman said during the Ohtani pursuit. “I know that our presentation was excellent. The feedback from that was outstanding. I did get a sense that I can’t change that we’re a big market, and I can’t change that we’re in the East.”
Now Murakami joins Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the list of Japanese stars who ended up elsewhere. The Yankees keep swinging and missing in this market.
The bet on Bellinger better work out. Because watching Murakami mash at Guaranteed Rate Field while New York struggles to find offense would be a tough pill to swallow in the Bronx.
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