With less than 24 hours remaining before Munetaka Murakami’s posting window closes, everyone was holding their breath on whether the Japanese hitter would go back to his home country. Well, it turns out not, because he apparently signed with the Chicago White Sox.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan posted that the White Sox landed the Japanese superstar on a two-year, $34 million deal. Great for Murakami, but for the ones who were silently watching how the market plays, like Boston and the Mets, this is not great news.

Together they lost on Pete Alonso, Kyle Schwarber, Edwin Diaz, and yet another addition to the list. And sure, Murakami came with some red flags, but he also brought much to the table, which is now to Chicago’s benefit.

Murakami’s concern was never power—he, after all, crushed 246 home runs across eight NPB seasons, including that awe-strucking 56-homer campaign in 2022. The main issue was everything else that came with it, like the swing-and-miss tendencies, defensive questions, and how his bat would translate against major league pitching.

Boston Red Sox were one interested team. Murakami for sure could replace some of the offense lost when Boston traded Devers, but they already are left-handed heavy and have Triston Casas at first base/DH. Fit and timing became an issue for them, and by the time David Stearns decided, Chicago pounced.

The Mets, too, were in a similar bind. With Pete Alonso gone, power is one of their major needs. Murakami’s clock was ticking, but New York never made the final push. So now he is headed to Chicago.

The White Sox stepped into the sweepstakes late, but they took the risks that came with Murakami and took advantage of the hesitation of the MLB market. Now Murakami is expected to see time at third base, first base, or as DH! The New York Mets and Boston Red Sox are not the happiest people on earth now!

Murakami’s Chicago White Sox deal stuns Mets, Red Sox fans

Mets fans couldn’t hide their frustration, given Munetaka Murakami came off the board. “Another one off the board. Who is playing 3rd for the Mets in 2026? Baty? Vientos?” — clearly tired of the uncertainty around the roster. So many players have simply left, and the team seems to be doing nothing to get replacements. Also, Mets fans thought that the front office was trying hard with Murakami. Plus, he too followed the bench coach, Kai Correa, along with Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, and Kodai Senga, on Instagram. But the deal never happened.

It’s as if the lava of frustration boiled over for New York Mets fans. One person said, “LMFAOOOOOOO Mets are so f—ing garbage. Fuck those idiots.” And if you think about it, they are not wrong. David Stearns personally had scouted Murakami, and they had a clear need at first base and in the middle of the lineup—so why not act on it? Many fans wanted the team to take the gamble, mentioning that velocity concerns are from a small sample size and that a slugger who dominated the dead-ball NPB could have been a difference-making addition.

In shock, a user said, “NOT ONE TEAM REALLY TOOK A CHANCE ON HIM? THE WHITE SOX????” Well, several teams were interested, like the Mariners, Angels, and Red Sox, as reported by the Japanese outlet livedoornews. They mentioned that these were the teams most likely to get Murakami. The only other hiccup was that the nine-figure projection had cooled, and it could be due to his strikeout rate. A short-term and creative contract was on the cards, and even then, the teams like the Mets and Boston, who need him, never made a move!

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Complaining, a fan said, “Even the White Sox are embarrassing the Red Sox.” ​​Now, while the pursuit of the Japanese slugger was never off the table, Alex Cotillo did mention that the Boston Red Sox were apparently just merely kicking the tires, so a reserved approach was taken. One major reason for this can be that they have eyes on Kazuma Okamoto. He is a steadier NPB bat, a better defender at third base, and a right-handed hitter who balances the lineup.

Fans are salty that the White Sox got him, with the saying, “WHITE SOX???.” But if you calm down and see, the fit makes sense. Murakami is young enough to grow into the Chicago core group, and he sits just two years above their prospects, Colson Montgomery and Kyle Teel. Plus, with Miguel Vargas and Lenyn Sosa in the infield corner but far from being locked in, they had room to be aggressive. Not to mention for Murakami, too, Chicago makes sense, as it would give him time to adjust to major league baseball and even experiment at third base without much stress.