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In a significant move for their rebuilding roster, the American League club have welcomed infielder Munetaka Murakami, agreeing to a two-year contract with the accomplished player.

Contract Details and Added Benefits

The agreement includes a seven-figure signing bonus, payable within 30 days, in addition to salaries of sixteen million for the upcoming season and seventeen million for the 2027 year.

Importantly, Murakami's final-year pay may grow based on accolade achievements in 2026:

• $1 million for winning the MVP award.
• Half a million dollars for finishing in the top three in MVP voting.
• $250K for placing fourth through 10th.
• An identical bonus for winning the top rookie honor.

The contract provides that he cannot be assigned to the minor leagues without his permission and makes him a free agent at the termination of the contract. Extra provisions include a dedicated interpreter and travel costs between his home country and the States.

Posting Fee and Team Legacy

As part of the transaction, Chicago owes a posting fee of over $6.5 million to the Swallows, Murakami's longtime team in Japan's Central League. The Japanese club get a 15% cut of any triggered salary escalators.

Murakami will become the fourth-ever Japanese to play for the South Siders, following pitcher Shingo Takatsu (2004-05), infielder Tadahito Iguchi (2005-07), and outfielder Kosuke Fukudome (2012). Of note, Takatsu once managed Murakami while both were in Japan.

On-Field Accomplishments

Murakami, a lefty bat who turns 26 in February, enters a young lineup in Chicago that also features prospects like Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, and Chase Meidroth. The club are coming off a 60-102 season, finishing last in the division but showing a 19-game improvement from the prior campaign.

The winner of back-to-back Central League MVP honors in '21 and '22, Murakami is renowned for a monumental 2022 season where he belted 56 home runs, surpassing the all-time record for a NPB hitter previously held by icon Sadaharu Oh. That feat also made him the youngest player ever to achieve Japan's prestigious Triple Crown.

His 2023 season was shortened to 56 games due to an oblique injury. Even with fanning 64 times, he batted .273 with 22 HRs and 47 driven in.

Over his career tenure with the Yakult club, Murakami has compiled a .270 career batting average with 246 home runs, 647 runs batted in, and nearly 1,000 strikeouts in nearly 900 games. Initially playing primarily at first base, he has more recently played to the hot corner.

WBC Heroics

Murakami's clutch hitting were on full display during the 2023 WBC. In the semi-final against Mexico, he delivered a game-ending double that drove in Shohei Ohtani and Masataka Yoshida for a thrilling 6-5 win. The very next day in the final against the USA, he slugged a tying home run in the early innings, helping Japan's 3-2 3-2 victory.

The power hitter is slated to be unveiled at a press conference on Monday.