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In a major move for their rebuilding roster, the American League club have officially added infielder Munetaka Murakami, completing a two-year contract bringing in the high-profile player.

Contract Details and Player Perks

The agreement features a $1 million signing bonus, payable within 30 days, combined with compensation of $16M for the upcoming season and $17 million for the 2027 year.

Importantly, Murakami's 2027 salary is subject to escalators based on performance achievements in 2026:

• An additional $1M for being named the Most Valuable Player award.
• Half a million dollars for placing second or third in MVP voting.
• A quarter-million for finishing between fourth and tenth.
• Another $250,000 for being named the top rookie honor.

The contract includes that he cannot be sent to the minor leagues without his approval and makes him a free agent at the end of the contract. Further benefits include a team-provided interpreter and travel costs between Japan and the U.S..

Compensation and Team Legacy

As part of the transaction, Chicago owes a posting fee of roughly $6.58 million to the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, Murakami's longtime team in Japan's Central League. The Japanese club would also receive a 15% cut of 15% triggered salary escalators.

Murakami will become the fourth Japanese to play for the Chicago franchise, joining reliever Shingo Takatsu (2004-05), second baseman Tadahito Iguchi (2005-07), and outfielder Kosuke Fukudome (2012). Notably, Takatsu previously coached Murakami back in Japan.

Player Profile

Murakami, a left-side batter who will turn 26 soon, joins a young lineup in Chicago that contains prospects like Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, and Chase Meidroth. The team are coming off a difficult season, placing at the bottom in the AL Central but showing a significant improvement from the previous campaign.

A two-time league MVP honors in '21 and '22, Murakami made history with a monumental 2022 season where he launched 56 HRs, surpassing the single-season record for a NPB hitter formerly held by legend Sadaharu Oh. That feat also made him the most youthful hitter ever to win Japan's prestigious Triple Crown.

His most recent NPB campaign was limited to just 56 appearances due to an oblique injury. Even with striking out 64 Ks, he still managed .273 with 22 HRs and 47 driven in.

Over his career tenure with the Yakult club, Murakami has posted a .270 lifetime batting average with 246 HRs, 647 RBIs, and 977 Ks in 892 games. He started playing mostly at first base, he has since transitioned to third.

WBC Heroics

Murakami's heroics were on global view during the last World Baseball Classic. In the penultimate game against Mexico, he drove in a game-ending two-base hit that scored two fellow Japanese stars for a thrilling one-run win. The following day in the final against the United States, he hit a equalizing homer in the early innings, setting the stage for Japan's 3-2 3-2 victory.

The lefty slugger is scheduled to be unveiled at a media availability on the coming Monday.