Report Says Cubs Could Target Murakami if Bregman Talks Stall, Despite Okamoto Looking Like Better Fit -

"Much of what is reported about specific player connections is done so because either a team or player rep wants to create leverage, and that's never more true than during the Winter Meetings. Whether it's a smoke screen to obscure other pursuits or a way to spur increased offers from interested parties, there's almost always an angle to the information that goes public."

"In his Winter Meetings preview from Sunday evening, Marquee's Bruce Levine noted that the Cubs have "connected with agent Scott Boras on the viability of [ Alex Bregman] coming to Chicago." While that is neither novel nor definitive, it's what follows a few paragraphs later that piqued my interest. Levine added that the Cubs could pursue 25-year-old Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami "if Bregman talks stall," then seemingly included a mention of 29-year-old Kazuma Okamoto as an afterthought."

"Murakami, a left-handed hitter, has some alarming swing-and-miss in his game and apparently hit just .095 against pitches of 93 mph or higher in NPB last year. Not ideal when the average MLB fastball is at 94.1 mph and rising. Wrigley Field might not be very conducive to Murakami's left-handed power stroke, which saw a big dropoff in extra-base hits this past season, and he's also positionally limited."

Much reported player-connection information is often driven by teams or player representatives seeking leverage, especially during the Winter Meetings. The Cubs connected with agent Scott Boras to assess Alex Bregman’s potential move to Chicago, and the team considered Munetaka Murakami as an alternative if talks stall, with Kazuma Okamoto mentioned afterward. The Cubs reportedly are not pursuing Murakami. Murakami shows high swing-and-miss rates, hit .095 against 93+ mph pitches in NPB, may not fit Wrigley’s left-handed power environment, and appears positionally limited given Michael Busch on the roster. Okamoto is a more natural Plan B despite velocity adjustment concerns for Japanese hitters.

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