Phillies pushing hard to recruit offseason's biggest enigma from Japan

It's no secret that the Philadelphia Phillies have been trying to get a foothold in the Japanese baseball market for years now. So far, their attempts have come up empty, aside from a failed minor league signing last winter. This offseason, the Phillies front office is back at it showing interest in multiple players in the Pacific Rim, including going after slugger Munetaka Murakami.

The Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) posted Murakami on Nov. 8 and he has already received interest from multiple clubs. The Phillies are one of those teams pushing to sign the 25-year-old corner infielder within the 45-day negotiating window.

According to Nikkan Sports, the Phillies are hot on the heels of Murakami.

"Several teams have already started an approach to Murakami, who completed the official application for posting on the 8th. Among them, the Phillies, who have won the National League East Division for two consecutive years and were in the postseason for the fourth consecutive year, are sending a hot line of eyes."

Phillies recruitment of Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami comes with a red flag

The 6-foot-2 Murakami is a two-time NPB Central League MVP and four-time All-Star. He has 246 home runs in 892 games and holds the single-season home run record for a Japanese-born player with 56 in 2022, the same year he won the Triple Crown.

Murakami played only 56 games this season due to injuries but still batted .273/.379/.663 and hit 22 home runs. Per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, one scout has said that the "power is legit" and "should translate to the majors."

However, the power comes with a glaring red flag that has some concerned about his transition to Major League Baseball. Murakami strikes out a lot. Like a lot, a lot.

From 2023 through 2025, the left-handed hitter recorded 412 strikeouts in 1,431 plate appearances, a 28.8 percent strikeout rate. It's just a little higher than free agent Kyle Schwarber's 27.2 percent rate this season. For reference, the MLB average strikeout rate in 2025 was 22.4 percent.

As Charlie Wright of MLB Trade Rumors notes, NPB strikeout numbers are typically lower, so Murakami's strikeout rate could rise even higher against MLB pitching. Yikes.

Where would Munetaka Murakami fit with the Phillies?

If the Phillies sign Murakami you can expect some more roster movement to accommodate the addition. Murakami has spent 75 percent of his time at third base, the rest of the time at first.

With current third baseman Alec Bohm heading into the final year of his contract, there's a good chance the Phillies are trying to find a trade partner. Bohm is 29 and is expected to make $10 million in arbitration this year. You can see the front office wanting to put that money towards some heavier power production at the hot corner.

There's also the Schwarber of it all. If the Phillies re-sign the fan favorite and Murakami, the rookie would have to play third. Would they even want two versions of the same lefty hitter in the lineup? If they somehow can't retain Schwarber, the designated hitter spot suddenly opens up and Murakami becomes that much more enticing.

You can see that there are plenty of moving parts and something will have to give for the Phillies to bring in Murakami.