The Mets have the longest history of any team in MLB when it comes to adding players from Japan. Whether that is most recently with Kodai Senga or dating back when they made a splash, at the time, in signing Kaz Matsui. In between, they have been stops for names like Hideo Nomo and Daisuke Matsuzaka, among others.

They have been unable, however, to land someone who is considered the "generational" type of player, as they leave Nippon Professional Baseball for MLB. I am talking about the Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui, Shohei Ohtani, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto types.

The next potential Japanese star is going to be posted this winter by his NPB team, the Yakult Swallows. That player is 25-year-old third baseman/first baseman Munetaka Murakami.

While not projecting that Murakami is by any means a lock to end up with the types of careers some of the above players had, Murakami will be considered the biggest offensive player to come over from Japan since Ohtani in 2018.

He had an all-time season in 2022. At just 22 years old, Murakami slashed .318/.458/.710 and set the NPB single-season home run record when he hit 56 home runs, passing the legendary Sadaharu Oh.

Projections on a potential contract for Murakami are wide-ranging for various reasons. It would be surprising if the contract wasn’t in the range of six-to-seven years and $100 million or more.

Here are the pros and cons of signing Murakami…

PROS

One thing the Mets were lacking in 2025 was an additional thumper in the lineup. Once opposing teams got past Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto and Pete Alonso, there wasn’t that same level of threat. Mark Vientos did not repeat his 2024 season, and Brandon Nimmo had a perfectly good 2025 campaign, but he isn’t the best fit as a cleanup hitter on a team looking to win a championship.

A slugger like Murakami could have fit perfectly in that spot. Alonso's Mets future is up in the air, but whether he is here or not, the Mets could use another power hitter in the lineup.

In 2025, Murakami missed a lot of time due to an oblique injury. When he returned, he hit .286/.392/.659 with 24 home runs in 69 games. One of those 24 home runs was a walk-off shot that happened to have Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns in attendance.

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