Despite pursuing the two biggest Japanese superstars to come over to MLB in the past two years (Yoshinobu Yamamoto last offseason and Roki Sasaki this offseason), the New York Yankees came up empty-handed for each.
However, this won’t stop the Yankees from pursuing future Japanese superstars who head to MLB. This is proven by a recent episode of The Michael Kay Show where YES Network’s Michael Kay asserted that New York’s front office already has an interest in Munetaka Murakami, a power-hitting infielder who has already announced that he plans to play in Major League Baseball’s 2026 season.
“Now, the slugging first baseman Murakami is going to be a free agent at the end of this year. I know the Yankees would love to have him,” Kay said, per a January 15 article from Jimmy Hascup of NJ Advance Media.
“That’s why they don’t want to sign a long-term deal for a first baseman. Are they going to be able to get him, or is he going to end up on the West Coast?”
Hascup’s article later wrote, “Murakami, who will turn 25 on Feb. 2, has been one of NPB’s top power hitters, with 224 home runs and a .272/.395/.543 line in 836 games. He broke Sadaharu Oh’s home run record from 1964 with 56 home runs in 2022, though he’s only combined for 64 home runs the last two seasons. He was a Central League MVP Award winner in 2021-22. At the 2023 World Baseball Classic, he hit a walk-off two-run double in the semifinal against Mexico and a home run against Team USA in the final.”
Aside from Shohei Ohtani, Murakami is probably the best left-handed Japanese power-hitting prospect since Hideki Matsui. And it sounds like the Yankees are planning to make a serious pursuit of him as soon as he becomes available next offseason.
