Three years ago, a 22-year-old third baseman of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows broke a 58-year-old record held by Sadaharu Oh. He smashed 56 home runs in just 141 games with a slashline of .318/.458/.710 with 134 RBI and 10.5 WAR to win his second straight Central League MVP award and the batting Triple Crown as the second NPB player of the 21st century. Many wondered what this young Japanese phenom could do next.

But reality delivered a curveball. The god-mode status vanished in the following seasons when the ‘Aaron Judge’ of Japan Munetaka Murakami hit just 31 homers in 2023 and 33 in 2024, and his batting average dropped from .318 to .256 in 2023 and .244 in 2024. And his strikeout rate exploded from 21 percent to 30 percent in just two years. This is where Analyst Ryan Garcia issued a blunt warning to New York.

Garcia tweeted, “The Yankees need to stay FAR AWAY from Munetaka Murakami.” He explained, “- 49% Swing-and-Miss% on Breaking Balls – 63% Contact% – Negative Defense at 1B/3B. His offense is a massive question mark, and the Yankees can find better position player help elsewhere.”

The only good thing about Murakami was that there was no injury history. But then, that hope vanished, too, when an oblique injury in spring training ruined the start of his crucial 2025 season.

Murakami missed the first three weeks, and when he returned on April 17, the issue came up again while swinging. Then, he was eventually sidelined for the first half of the season. But Munetaka returned on July 29 and hit 22 home runs with 47 RBIs and a 1.043 OPS in the remaining 56 games of the season. And now, he is expected to be available in free agency.

The Yankees, who are always known for their search for power bats, are expected to be in the race for this international free agent.

But Garcia has issued his warning.

He also explained that pitchers in MLB throw much harder fastballs and have much better secondary pitches than those in NPB. This could push Murakami’s strikeout rate near 40%. And as the Yankees already have Ben Rice at first base and Austin Wells is also a successful catcher, Murakami simply does not fit the roster.

Garcia is not the only one ringing this alarm

Chris Kirschner of The Athletic has also warned the Yankees about Murakami.

“I don’t see that happening. Ben Rice is the first baseman next season. Giancarlo Stanton is the DH. There’s no spot for him,” Kirschner replied to a fan who asked if the Yankees would chase Murakami.

And the Yankees should stay aware.

When they acquired Hideki Matsui, who hit 332 home runs in 10 seasons in Japan, including 50 home runs in 2002, before joining them in 2003, Matsui couldn’t replicate that power with the Yankees and hit 30 homers only once in his 10-year career in the big league.

But this does not mean the Yankees should ignore Japan entirely. Kirschner and Garcia both pointed to a better option: Kazuma Okamoto.

Okamoto is a right-handed hitter from the Yomiuri Giants with excellent power and great contact skills. Most importantly, he is a versatile defender who can play third base, first base, and the corner outfield. 

But for Murakami, even if we keep the Yankees out, the frenzy doesn’t fade away. Munetaka is still one of the biggest bats available this winter. And there are several teams, like the Mets, Phillies, and Mariners can make a big push. And we can never exclude the Los Angeles Dodgers from any trade scenario.

The Mets can lose Pete Alonso in this free agency. The Dodgers can look for another option besides Max Muncy in the third. The Mariners can lose their first baseman, Josh Naylor, and third baseman Eugenio Suárez in the upcoming winter. And the Phillies can use Murakami in multiple positions.

A DH as a replacement for Kyle Schwarber if they can not keep him for the next season. They can even move Bryce Harper back to the outfield to open first base for Murakami. Or they can trade third baseman Alec Bohm and place Murakami at the hot corner.

So clearly, Munetaka Murakami won’t come short on options!