Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami is expected to be posted for Major League Baseball free agency this winter. (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)
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Yeah, it still hurts bad — real bad. It’s only been four days since the Philadelphia Phillies saw their World Series dreams poof away in a single wild toss home from reliever Orion Kerkering, as the Los Angeles Dodgers danced and leaped and celebrated their advancement to the NLCS.
Now, for Phillies fans: Enter a long, cold winter with so many looming questions. Can the Phils resign Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto and Ranger Suarez, all of whom will be entering the free-agent market in a few weeks? Will they fire manager Rob Thomson, who always seems to hit the wrong buttons in the playoffs? Will they find any taker for maligned outfielder Nick Castellanos?
Here’s another question and maybe the biggest: Will the Phillies finally sign a impact player out of Japan? Specifically, will they chase after Japanese phenom Munetaka Murakami, who’s expected to be posted for MLB free agency this winter, making him available to all 30 big league clubs for the 2026 season.
MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand pointed out that Nikkan Sports reported the Yankees, Mets, Mariners — and yes, the Phillies — are among the teams that could make a big run at Murakami.
Murakami — at 6-foot-2, 213 pounds — is a power-hitter supreme. He has 246 home runs in 892 games, including a 56-homer season in 2022, the most hit in a single season by a Japanese-born player. The left-handed slugger also won the Triple Crown that year at the age of 22, becoming the youngest player in league history to accomplish that feat.
This season, Murakami has mashed 24 bombs in only 69 games with the Yakult Swallows. “He has legit power,” said one MLB scout who has watched Murakami multiple times. “It should translate to the Majors.”
Here’s a look-see at said power, and something to dream on at Citizens Bank Park:
No surprise here: With Murakami’s big-time power comes a big-time strikeout rate. For his career, he’s whiffed 1,068 times in 1,003 games played. But he also walks a ton, having walked more than 100 times three different years in seven full seasons.
Murakami has played about 75 percent of his games at third base, with the other 25 percent coming at first base. So a couple things could happen if the Phillies (actually) signed the guy. They could put Murakami in at the DH if Schwarber signs elsewhere. Or if they retain Schwarber, they could bump Bryce Harper back to the outfield and put Murakami at first base. Or they could trade third baseman Alec Bohm, who’s entering his final year of arbitration, and slot Murakami in at third.
Now a zap of reality: While other teams have infused their rosters with Japanese talent, the Phillies have struck out (literally) signing players out of Japan. They’ve signed just one: pitcher Koyo Aoyagi, who inked a minor-league contract in January 2025 but got released six months later, having never made the Major League team.
And lest we forget Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s infamous snubbing. Two off-seasons ago, the Phillies made the largest offer for Yamamoto after reportedly having a strong meeting with him. He ultimately chose the Dodgers, signing for 12 years and $325 million, despite Philly’s offer being financially superior.
So with Murakami, the Phillies have a chance to change their history with Japanese talent by signing him. But for now, it’s only a question, and one that will linger for the next few months.