The Boston Red Sox need a jolt of power in their offense to stay competitive in 2026, and they've been linked to a fair few free agent sluggers who could give them the boost they need. Pete Alonso and Kyle Schwarber could be great fits in Boston, along with another slugger who was surprisingly posted by his Nippon Professional Baseball team on November 7.
MLB insider Jeff Passan reported that Munetaka Murakami will be posted to MLB by his longtime team, the Yakult Swallows, on Friday. His posting window will last 45 days, meaning that MLB teams will have only until December 22 to decide if they want to sign Murakami.
The 25-year-old was a corner infielder in NBP, but he probably won't stick as a third baseman in MLB due to the quality of his defense. The Red Sox have been linked to Murakami to bring a boost of power to their offense, and his early posting window will force them to be decisive about their offensive plans.
Signing Murakami and Alonso or Schwarber would be redundant for Boston. Alonso and Murakami would likely play the same position, if either are to play the field at all. Murakami could also end up a designated hitter at some point in his career, Alonso is expected to have the same fate, and Schwarber is a full-time DH already. Not to mention that Boston already has a player it always plays at DH but is reluctant to call one, Masataka Yoshida.
Red Sox will have to determine offseason plan quickly if they hope to sign Munetaka Murakami
BREAKING: Japanese star third baseman Munetaka Murakami will be posted today, officially starting the process of one of the most anticipated free agencies of the winter, sources tell ESPN. Murakami's 45-day negotiating window to come to a deal with an MLB team starts tomorrow.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 7, 2025
Alonso and Schwarber are both proven in MLB, while signing Murakami could be more of a risk for any of the teams in his market. The risk could make him a less expensive option than the two sluggers from the United States, which could convince the Red Sox to make a push for him (although they have more than enough money to sign whoever suits them best).
Murakami is a prolific home run hitter in Japan, a trend that could continue at Fenway Park. In 2022, he notched the single-season home run record in NPB, with 56 homers obver 141 games. He's blasted 265 round-trippers in his eight-year NPB career, which is over a 30 home run per year pace.
Murakami is a career .270/.394/.557 with a .951 OPS. His career strikeout rate sits around 26%, which could raise concerns for a streaky Boston offense, but the lefty's youth and potential could be too good for it to pass up.
If the Red Sox want Murakami, they'll have to act quickly — something they don't like to do in free agency pursuits. Alex Bregman didn't sign until February of last winter, and Boston's hesitant approach to offering big money contracts won't fly in Murakami's market, which is certain to feature all of the richest teams in the league. Committing to Murakami would more than likely also mean leaving the Alonso and Schwarber markets, so the Sox have a lot riding on their potential pursuit of the 25-year-old phenom.