The Boston Red Sox's offensive power outage from the second half and postseason has still not been remedied, as chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has stuck to mostly pitching additions so far.
The Red Sox have missed out on signing two top sluggers, Kyle Schwarber and Pete Alonso, who could've sparked their offense with an additional 40-50 homers, apiece. Alonso also could've taken up first base as Triston Casas rediscovers his footing in the big leagues. Instead, Boston didn't make either a serious offer.
But all hope is not lost when it comes to the Red Sox adding a slugging first baseman. Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami is still available for MLB teams to sign, but his posting window is racing to a close. The deadline for him to sign with a major league club is Monday, December 22 at 5 p.m. If he doesn't sign, he'll be returned to his longtime NPB team, the Tokyo Yakult Swallows.
There hasn't been much smoke around Murakami's potential suitors since his initial posting date (subscription required). Even MLB insiders are stymied by his market — Ken Rosenthal said he's unaware of any specific clubs interested in the corner infielder, to the point that he didn't feel comfortable speculating.
Red Sox should be players for Munetaka Murakami as his posting window nears close
Like Alonso, Murakami has 30 homer potential, but his defense is equally questionable. He's played both first and third base in NPB, but he profiles as strictly a first baseman (and maybe even a designated hitter) in MLB.
Unlike Alonso, Murakami is entering his age-26 season. One of the Red Sox's main arguments for not signing Alonso is his age. Boston is reluctant to give long-term deals to players over the age of 30, and the longtime Mets first baseman turned 31 on December 7. If Murakami gets the same five-year, $150 million-ish deal that Alonso and Schwarber signed, he'll be a free agent again by his age 31 season.
The Red Sox's age argument possibly makes them a more likely suitor in Murakami's market than Kazuma Okamoto's, despite his superior defense. Okamoto is a right-handed hitter who could be a better fit for Boston's offense and there are another few weeks until his signing deadline, but he'll be 30 in June, which could be out of its preferred age range.
Murakami has clubbed 265 homers in just over a thousand games since his NPB career began eight years ago, including a 51 homer season in 2022. The Red Sox should be in on him to shore up their offense, to which they haven't added this offseason. They don't have his age to blame if they're uncompetitive this time.