"Murakami, 25, was limited by injuries in 2025, but still showed elite power. He hit 24 home runs with 52 RBI in 69 games, a 162-game pace of 56 home runs and 122 RBI. He had hit 30 or more home runs in five of his previous six seasons, including a monstrous 56-homer, 134-RBI campaign in 2022."
"Another international sweepstakes awaits this winter, as Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami will be posted by his NPB team, the Yakult Swallows. He'll be available for all 30 MLB teams to bid on, but the New York Mets have already emerged as an early favorite. President of baseball operations David Stearns traveled to Japan earlier this year to watch the power-hitting infielder play. He did not disappoint, hitting a walk-off two-run home run against the Yokohama DeNa Baystars."
"The franchise home run king wasted no time announcing he would opt out of the final year of his two-year contract following the last game of the regular season, adding further insult to the injury of another collapse that resulted in a disastrous playoff miss. Alonso followed up a career-worst season, which sapped his market and forced him to rejoin the Mets on that stopgap of a deal, with an impressive 2025, smashing 38 home runs and 126 RBI."
Munetaka Murakami will be posted by the Yakult Swallows and available to all 30 MLB teams this winter. The New York Mets have emerged as an early favorite after team president David Stearns scouted Murakami in Japan. Murakami produced elite power despite injury in 2025, hitting 24 homers in 69 games and maintaining a long-term track record of 30-plus homer seasons. Defensive shortcomings at third base have led to some first-base starts, creating a positional fallback. Pete Alonso opted out of his contract after the season and posted a strong 2025 while reportedly seeking a long-term deal.
Read at www.amny.com
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