With third base standing out as a conspicuous gap for the New York Yankees, perhaps they could tap into the international market in the offseason and land a Japanese superstar at the position.
The Athletic’s Jim Bowden, who was an MLB general manager for over a decade, listed the Yankees amongst the potential landing spots for Munetaka Murakami should he be posted by the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, his club in Nippon Professional Baseball.
“Murakami profiles as a .240 to .260 type hitter in MLB with legitimate 30-home run power. Defensively, he’s below average at third base and adequate at first base. He’s also played some left field this season for the first time in his career. Teams such as the Yankees, Red Sox, Tigers (if they’re OK with him at third base), Mariners, Rangers and Padres should be interested in Murakami if he becomes a free agent,” Bowden wrote.
The Yankees have long been considered a strong contender to sign Murakami once he heads to the states. After all, they had immeasurable success with a pair of Japanese stars in outfielder/designated hitter Hideki Matsui, a two-time All-Star who won World Series MVP in 2009, and right-handed pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, another two-time All-Star who posted a 3.74 ERA in 174 outings for the team.
Though New York’s pursuits of Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki all came up short in recent years, perhaps it would have an easier time convincing a slugging left-handed hitter like Murakami to head to the Bronx due to the short porch in right field.
Across 837 games and 3,560 plate appearances in the NPB, all of which have come with the Swallows, Murakami has hit .270/.395/.549 to go alongside 224 home runs and 600 RBIs.
He won the Triple Crown in 2022 with a whopping 56 homers, 134 RBIs and a .318 batting average. At the World Baseball Classic in 2023, which Japan won, Murakami posted an .826 OPS with a home run and six RBIs in 26 at-bats.
The Yankees don’t currently have a major league-ready solution in their organization at the hot corner with top prospect George Lombard Jr. still a ways away, meaning Murakami could fill that hole and perhaps blossom into an MLB superstar.
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