After Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani made headlines, MLB saw another wave of Japanese talent last year with Roki Sasaki’s arrival. And this offseason might be even bigger. Why? Because NPB superstar Munetaka Murakami often called Aaron Judge 2.0, is gearing up to make his mark in the majors.

Notably, at just 25, Murakami is already a legend in Japan, having smashed 56 HRs in 2022 to score the maximum homers in Japan. But he’s not without a few question marks, especially when it comes to making contact. In 2025, his contact rate against secondary pitches sat at just 51%, which is well below what you’d expect from a consistent MLB slugger.

So now the question is… Does that open the door for another NPB standout, Kazuma Okamoto, to be the more MLB-ready option?

NPB insider Yaktu Cosmopolitan doesn’t think so. “Important perspective for people to have. While Murakami’s contact concerns go beyond just strikeouts, sluggers of his caliber don’t just grow on trees, and he’s only turning 26 next year. You get what you pay for with Okamoto. Murakami has a lower floor but a higher ceiling.”

Despite the contact concerns, Murakami does have a few red flags. According to Yakyu, his biggest flaw is his tendency to miss swings. What’s worse is that Murakami’s strikeout rate has hovered around 30% for three straight seasons. That means he could get exposed even more by high velocity or sharp breaking pitches. In fact, FanGraphs notes that since 2022, he’s made contact with just 63% of fastballs at 93 mph or higher.

That said, there is a reason why teams are gunning for the Japanese star because his power is something special. Reportedly, his ratings hover around 70 or even 80 on the scouting scale. And his raw strength is so real that he could still be a 30-plus homer guy in the majors. Also, the fact that he’s only entering his prime years makes that upside even more enticing.

By contrast, Okamoto offers better bat-to-ball skills. Moreover, his NPB stats proved that he can handle velocity, posting an 84% contact rate against pitches 94 mph and above in 2025, per FanGraphs. Yes, indeed, his power doesn’t quite match Murakami’s, which might limit his home run totals in MLB, and at 29, he’s a bit older, possibly past his peak years.

So when it comes to who might take on Ohtani’s hitting prowess, it’s clear Yakyu is betting on Murakami.

Murakami is set to ignite the offseason sweepstakes

Well, much like Ohtani did when he first came to MLB, Munetaka Murakami looks poised to make a similar splash. According to MLB insider Jeff Passan, expectations are that Murakami could land a nine-figure deal from an MLB team. And guess what, that’s not even counting the posting fee, which alone would cost the signing club at least $16.9 million!!!

Now, rumors have linked several big-market teams to Murakami, including the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Mariners, and Padres. Interestingly, Passan also noted that the Dodgers, now the go-to destination for top Japanese stars, don’t appear to be in the mix this time.

However, could Murakami become the most expensive Japanese player since the current posting system is in place?

Reportedly, since MLB introduced its current posting rules in 2018, the largest deal given to a position player was Masataka Yoshida’s five-year, $90 million contract with Boston. So, if Murakami’s deal does indeed top nine figures, it would break that record.

Of course, the biggest Japanese contract under the current system still belongs to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who signed a massive 12-year, $325 million deal with the Dodgers. The question now is whether Munetaka Murakami can set a new benchmark for hitters. What are your thoughts?