The situation around Japanese infielder Munetaka Murakami turned out to be wildly interesting.
Known as a slugger in his native country, Murakami was projected to receive a host of lucrative offers from multiple teams. As the offseason wore on, the market seemingly was far quieter around Murakami than many believed it would be a year prior.
While the Los Angeles Dodgers were always associated with him in some capacity, it never really made sense based on the construction of the current roster. There’s simply no spot for Murakami at this given time. Some of the advanced analytic breakdowns indicated a player that also may struggle to adjust to velocity at this level. Coupled with what’s perceived to be about an average glove, and Murakami’s value appeared to take a hit.
Out of seemingly nowhere, the Chicago White Sox won out with a two-year deal worth reportedly $34 million. This deal enables Murakami to perform without any real pressure or expectations — something that a young player could benefit from.
In the process with the length of the deal being on the shorter end of things, Murakami can reenter the market in his prime with the hopes of garnering a bigger and better deal.
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This is where the Dodgers come into play. Their connection to Japan has well been established at this point. The last remaining aspects between the two entities would be seeing Los Angeles possess a star position player from the country.
As Doug McKain of Dodgers Nation theorizes, Murakami could end up being a realistic target for the Dodgers down the line.
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Murakami would be a free agent before his 28th birthday. By that time, there’s a chance one of (if not both) of Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy will be off the team. Murakami is said to be a capable third baseman with the likely reality in becoming a first baseman/DH type.
Of course, with Shohei Ohtani ensconced at the DH spot, there’s only so many places Murakami would be a fit within the franchise. Murakami could theoretically develop with the White Sox to the point where he become a viable option in Los Angeles.
By that time given the gravitas this franchise holds, it theoretically wouldn’t be all that shocking to see the Dodgers be among the favorites to sign Murakami. Of course, this is all dependent on Murakami becoming someone the Dodgers see as a legitimate building block for years to come.
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