Munetaka Murakami Signing $34 Million Deal with White Sox Leaves Fans into Frenzy: “Bro Doesn’t Want to Win”

Munetaka Murakami hit 22 home runs and had 47 RBIs while playing just 56 games last season, as he missed several games due to an injury.

Munetaka Murakami Signing $34 Million Deal with White Sox Leaves Fans into Frenzy: “Bro Doesn’t Want to Win”

Munetaka Murakami (Image via X/@TalkinBaseball_)

Munetaka Murakami is heading to the South Side of Chicago. On Sunday, the Japanese international agreed to a 2-year, $34 million deal with the Chicago White Sox.

The 25-year-old slugger was one of the top names in free agency this year. After his posting period began on November 7, there was a 45-day window for all 30 teams in the MLB to negotiate with him and his camp.

Following several speculations and rumors at the start, some concerns over his swing-and-miss tendencies led to a pause in his pursuit. As his 45-day period came close to an end, the White Sox entered into the negotiations.

After a successful meeting, the team agreed to land the left-hand hitter on a 2-year, $34 million deal, making him one of their top free agent signings in recent seasons.

The 6-foot-2 has been one of the power hitters in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has hit 246 home runs in 892 games. His 56 home runs in the 2022 season saw him break the record for the most home runs hit by a Japanese born player in the league’s history.

Murakami won back-to-back MVP Awards in NPB in 2021 and 2022 and led his team to the championship in 2021. In 2025, he played only 56 games due to an injury. Despite this, he did manage to hit 22 home runs and had 47 RBIs with an OPS of 1.043.

While Murakami’s hitting has seen him receive several praises, there have been questions regarding his defense. He has played both corners, third base and first base in his career in NPB. He is expected to play as the first baseman for now.

Social media reacts to White Sox signing Munetaka Murakami

The Chicago White Sox have made one of their biggest moves in recent years. The team roped in hot-hitter Munetaka Murakami on a 2-year deal and added some firepower to their offense. The AL Central team have sent the fans on social media into a frenzy after signing him.

Munetaka Murakami
Munetaka Murakami (Image via MLB)

While some users on X trolled him, some cheered his signing. There were some who took swipes at the other teams and expressed how even the White Sox were making moves in the offseason. One user on X wrote, “Bro doesn’t want to win” while reacting to this on X.

Check out that and some other reactions regarding this development below:

Munetaka Murakami has had success against MLB pitchers in the past. He was part of Team Japan that won the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in 2023.

During the final against Team USA, Murakami tied the game in the second inning with a solo home run off Merrill Kelly. In the semi-finals, he hit a walk-off double against Giovanny Gallegos to complete his team’s comeback win over Team Mexico.

Munetaka Murakami’s signing shows positive signs of rebuild for White Sox

The Chicago White Sox have experienced some tough times over the past few seasons. Their rebuild however, is showing some positive signs following their acquisition of Munetaka Murakami.

Munetaka Murakami
Munetaka Murakami (Image via Yardbarker)

The White Sox have endured three successive 100-loss seasons. In 2024, they set an unwanted record for the most losses in the league and finished with a disappointing 41-121 record. Last year, they did improve on this a bit but still suffered over 100 losses as they went 60-102.

Murakami now joins a White Sox young core, which includes Colson Montgomery, Chase Meidroth, Kyle Teel, Edgar Quero, Miguel Vargas, Shane Smith and Grant Taylor.

Apart from this, the team has also won the MLB Draft lottery this year. This means they will have the No.1 draft pick in the 2026 draft. Things are looking bright for the White Sox at the moment.

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