Los Angeles Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, fresh off a World Series MVP performance, appears to be doing some recruiting.
This week, Yamamoto was spotted at dinner with top Japanese free agent Munetaka Murakami, who was posted for MLB teams on Nov. 8 and has until Dec. 22 to sign.
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Yamamoto and Murakami were teammates on Team Japan in the most recent World Baseball Classic. They both played in Nippon Professional Baseball.
Murakami is coming to MLB after eight seasons in Japan. The 25-year-old is coming off a 2025 season in which he slashed .286/.392/.659 with 24 home runs, 52 RBIs and an OPS of 1.051 across 69 games. In his best season in 2022, he appeared in 141 games, slashing .318/.458/.710 with 56 home runs, 134 RBIs and an OPS of 1.168.
Overall, Murakami hit 265 home runs over eight seasons in Japan.
Murakami has some defensive concerns, and doesn’t exactly fit on the Dodgers’ current roster as he’s a corner infielder. The Dodgers picked up Max Muncy’s $10 million club option to play third base, and Freddie Freeman has two more years on his deal to play first base. The designated hitter spot, of course, is taken up by Shohei Ohtani.
Nevertheless, the Dodgers can never be counted out of a free agent sweepstakes, especially for a Japanese player. The Dodgers have dominated the market in recent offseasons, signing Ohtani, Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki. All three played critical roles in LA’s World Series win this past season.
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Photo Credit: Yukihito Taguchi-USA TODAY Sports
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