White Sox $34 million contract looks like steal to start 2026 MLB season

White Sox $34 million contract looks like steal to start 2026 MLB season originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Other MLB teams decided Munetaka Murakami was too risky.

Not the Chicago White Sox, though. They were willing to take the risk that Murakami's swing-and-miss wouldn't overshadow his prodigious power.

That meant that in the offseason, Murakami cost just $34 million on a two-year deal, not nine figures on a much longer-term contract.

So far, Murakami is looking like he was worth the gamble for Chicago.

"Murakami didn’t land the huge contract some had forecasted when he was posted this winter, signing a two-year, $34 million deal with the White Sox," MLB.com's Mark Feinsand wrote in a new article on Wednesday. "A number of talent evaluators wondered how the slugger would adapt to big league pitching, while his defense at first base was another lingering question. Through 10 games, Murakami has been a revelation for Chicago, hitting four home runs with an .892 OPS in his first 42 plate appearances while making the White Sox an international story. Murakami ranks near the top of the league in hard-hit percentage and barrel percentage, also showing the good eye at the plate that helped him to a .394 career on-base percentage in Japan. He ranks in the 84th percentile in chase percentage and 87th in walk percentage, reaching base safely in nine of 10 games."

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The White Sox were in an advantageous position when pursuing Murakami, at least in one sense: They really had nothing to lose.

Contending teams couldn't afford to be wrong on Murakami. The White Sox, in contrast, were simply trying to return into contention over the next few years.

If they were wrong, it would just keep them near the basement where they've been. But if they were right and actually got Murakami at a good value, it could be a game changer.

So far, Murakami has definitely been a game changer.

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