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In a significant move for their retooling roster, the American League club have signed Japanese star Munetaka Murakami, agreeing to a two-year contract for the accomplished player.

Contract Details and Player Perks

The agreement grants a substantial signing bonus, to be paid within 30 days, alongside compensation of $16M for the next season and seventeen million for the following year.

Importantly, Murakami's compensation may grow based on award achievements in 2026:

• An additional $1M for winning the MVP award.
• $500,000 for finishing as runner-up or in third place in MVP voting.
• A quarter-million for finishing fourth through 10th.
• An identical bonus for being named the ROY honor.

The contract also stipulates that he cannot be sent to the farm system without his permission and allows him to become a unrestricted player at the conclusion of the contract. Extra provisions include a club-supplied interpreter and flight reimbursement between his home country and the States.

Transfer Payment and Team Legacy

As part of the signing, Chicago must pay a compensation payment of roughly $6.58 million to the Swallows, Murakami's previous team in Japan's professional league. The Swallows would also receive a 15% cut of 15% triggered salary escalators.

Murakami joins the ranks as the fourth-ever Japanese to represent the Chicago franchise, in the footsteps of reliever Shingo Takatsu (2004-05), infielder Tadahito Iguchi (2005-07), and outfielder Kosuke Fukudome (2012). Notably, Takatsu once managed Murakami while both were in Japan.

Career Highlights

Murakami, a left-side batter who turns 26 in February, bolsters a emerging lineup in Chicago that also features prospects like Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, and Chase Meidroth. The White Sox are finished with a difficult season, placing at the bottom in the American League Central but showing a 19-game improvement from the previous campaign.

Having earned league MVP honors in 2021 and 2022, Murakami is famous for a monumental 2022 season where he hit 56 homers, surpassing the single-season record for a Japanese-born player previously held by legend Sadaharu Oh. That year also made him the youngest player ever to achieve Japan's coveted Triple Crown.

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

Over his eight-season tenure with the Swallows, Murakami has compiled a .270 batting average with 246 home runs, 647 runs batted in, and 977 Ks in 892 games. Initially playing primarily at first, he has since transitioned to the hot corner.

Global Stage Success

Murakami's big-game performance were on center stage during the 2023 WBC. In the penultimate game against Mexico, he drove in a victory-sealing double that scored Shohei Ohtani and Masataka Yoshida for a thrilling 6-5 win. The following day in the championship game against the USA, he blasted a equalizing shot in the early innings, setting the stage for Japan's subsequent championship win.

The new White Sox addition is set to be officially presented at a press conference on Monday.