The Boston Red Sox were reportedly involved in the markets for Pete Alonso and Kyle Schwarber, making it clear the team wants to add power.
There are a couple of power hitters available on the open market, including Japanese phenom Munetaka Murakami. However, The Athletic’s Will Sammon pointed out a major dilemma in his market.
Scouts have concerns about Murakami’s ability to adjust to better pitching, defense and contact rate, according to Sammon. These concerns make it more favorable for clubs to consider a short-term deal for Murakami, but that’s where the problem is. He has a posting fee attached to him.
“The posting fee attached to Murakami complicates the idea of a shorter deal,” wrote Sammon on Thursday. “A club might not want to tack on an additional fee to a short-term contract on a young player. More money, more risk.”
Murakami’s power numbers in Japan are great. He has 246 career home runs in Nippon Professional Baseball, and he has the potential to be an elite power hitter in Major League Baseball.
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The Red Sox were willing to pursue Schwarber and Alonso, so they have already shown their willingness to overlook defensive ability if it adds to their offense. Perhaps they have fewer issues with Murakami than other clubs. However, the posting fee and risk of his offensive ability not carrying over still stand.
Sammon also noted the downside of a long-term deal with Murakami, only adding to what has become a complicated free agency. A long-term deal could leave a team stuck with his contract if he fails to produce in the big leagues.
One thing teams may look at when weighing whether to sign Murakami or not is the fact that Shohei Ohtani also had a high strikeout rate in Japan when he was a young player. It would be unfair to expect Murakami to do what Ohtani has done as a hitter in the big leagues, but it does show that players can come over from Japan with high strikeout numbers and still succeed.
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