
The New York Yankees have tried to land several top international baseball players in recent years, striking out on the likes of Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and now Roki Sasaki. However, MLB rumors are already swirling about an emerging star in Japan who could be part of the Yankees lineup in 2026.
For the most part, New York has addressed its biggest needs this winter. The club signed Paul Goldschmidt to play first base, replaced Juan Soto with Cody Bellinger and fortified the pitching staff with Max Fried and Devin Williams. While a few other things are being worked on, the big splash moves seem to be done.
- New York Yankees payroll 2025 (FanGraphs):Â $284 million
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However, there’s already growing buzz about what’s coming next winter. The Yankees are expected to be among the teams pursuing All-Star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. if he hits MLB free agency. However, there’s another young slugger the team also covets.
ESPN‘s Michael Kay shared that the Yankees “would love to have” Japanese hitter Munetaka Murakami and they are eyeing him in MLB free agency next winter.
- Munetaka Murakami stats (2024): .244/.379/.472, .851 OPS, 33 home runs, 10 steals, 13 doubles
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Murakami, who turns 25 in February, is a left-handed hitting corner infielder starring in Nippon Professional Baseball. He won the Japanese Triple Crown Award in 222 and is a four-time NPB All-Star, responsible for leading the Central League in home runs twice.
He’s twice recorded a 1.000-plus OPS – first in 2020 with a .307/.427/.585 slash line – followed by his 2022 campaign when he set career-highs in home runs (56), RBI (134) and slugging (.711) with a 1.168 OPS. However, he hasn’t come close to that production in recent years with a sub-.880 OPS in the last two years.
- Munetaka Murakami career stats: .272/.395/.543, .938 OPS, 241 home runs, 670 RBI in 3,295 at-bats
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Yet Murakami remains one of the best power hitters in Japan and he’s recorded a .370-plus OBP in five consecutive seasons. Projecting to potentially move to first base if he heads to MLB in 2026, Murakami could be exactly the young left-handed power bat the Yankees have been looking for.