Per Passan: White Sox sign Munetaka Murakami 2 years 34M

[baseball_gal_aly]

If Murakami is good, he's probably getting traded this summer, right?

[WestEddy]

36 minutes ago, baseball_gal_aly said:

If Murakami is good, he's probably getting traded this summer, right?

I would think that if this team is playing anything close to .500 ball by the end of July, they keep all the 2-year guys so they're not trying to build half a team again in a month during March of 2027. 

[Lip Man 1]

3 hours ago, baseball_gal_aly said:

If Murakami is good, he's probably getting traded this summer, right?

Not this summer but if things go south on this rebuild that's a good possibility next year (assuming they are even playing next season with the lock out coming)

[caulfield12]

39 minutes ago, Lip Man 1 said:

Not this summer but if things go south on this rebuild that's a good possibility next year (assuming they are even playing next season with the lock out coming)

All the big FA movement will happen next November before the lockout.

Big 5-6 teams will predictably load up on more talent knowing conditions will likely get more challenging for them after the new CBA.

 

Don't think most trades will occur until the value of pre arb versus veteran guys is more firmly defined.

Edited Tuesday at 03:51 AM by caulfield12

[Autumn Dreamin]

Mune in uniform for the first time. The inscription on his belt is reportedly his motto since high school:

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

22 hours ago, baseball_gal_aly said:

If Murakami is good, he's probably getting traded this summer, right?

Depends on how good.

.250 .350 .500  Yes

[Bob Sacamano]

22 hours ago, baseball_gal_aly said:

If Murakami is good, he's probably getting traded this summer, right?

I would think it depends on “how good.” And they absolutely should be open to dealing a guy who signed a contract with the idea of becoming a FA at the age of 28.

Edited Tuesday at 10:25 PM by Bob Sacamano

[soxrwhite]

1 hour ago, Bob Sacamano said:

I would think it depends on “how good.” And they absolutely should be open to dealing a guy who signed a contract with the idea of becoming a FA at the age of 28.

What if at the end of 2 years they have a contending team and a deal on a new stadium?

[Bob Sacamano]

5 minutes ago, soxrwhite said:

What if at the end of 2 years they have a contending team and a deal on a new stadium?

Re-sign him. You can do that if you trade him for a good package in July of this year as well. 

[soxrwhite]

2 minutes ago, Bob Sacamano said:

Re-sign him. You can do that if you trade him for a good package in July of this year as well. 

True. He will be a free agent at the end of 2 years regardless, but you could extend him if you don't trade him. So much depends on his production.

[southsider2k5]

1 hour ago, soxrwhite said:

What if at the end of 2 years they have a contending team and a deal on a new stadium?

Then the world is probably ending. 

[caulfield12]

11 hours ago, Autumn Dreamin said:

Mune in uniform for the first time. The inscription on his belt is reportedly his motto since high school:

Japan thus perceived Russia as the biggest obstacle in its on-land expansion strategy and started its "Gashin Shotan" movement (persevering through hardship for the sake of revenge). It ferociously scaled up its armed forces, vying with Russia for hegemony.

 

 

"Defeated in the Sino-Japanese War, China signed the April 1895 Treaty of Shimonoseki, ceding part of the Liaotung Peninsula to Japan. Within the week, however, Russia, Germany, and France intervened to block Japan from taking possession. This "retrocession" of the peninsula forced upon the Japanese caused a public outcry against the "triple intervention" and is mentioned several times in the following chapters.

The essay's actual title, "Gashin shotan ron," referred to the slogan used by the Japanese government to counter public criticism of its handling of the affair and alluded to a prince in ancient China who was said to keep a container of gall by his side the better to nurse his vengeance against victorious enemies."   Wikipedia footnotes

Edited Wednesday at 09:10 AM by caulfield12

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

15 hours ago, soxrwhite said:

True. He will be a free agent at the end of 2 years regardless, but you could extend him if you don't trade him. So much depends on his production.

If JR is still the owner good luck with that unless in those 2 years sponsorships  and attendance skyrockets and the Sox are over .500 again.

He likely won't make any major expenditures. Again its hard to predict the future with a 90 year old still expecting to leave his sons as little debt as possible . 

Maybe he can make a better deal with Justin Ishbia taking over sooner than 2029 if Ishbia uses his money to resign him.But we're getting way out over our skis here.

[caulfield12]

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One of the things that made this possible, is with our great partners in the front row,” Crane said. He then asked Takayuki Inoue, the chief marketing officer of Daikin, to stand up. “Thank you, sir.”

"Daikin, a Japanese HVAC company, is entering the second year of a 15-year naming rights deal with the Astros stadium that will pay the team more than $140 million, according to someone familiar with the terms. For most MLB teams, naming rights are the most valuable corporate asset they can sell. In the case of the Astros, the team may have received something more valuable than money—an assist in making the first major free-agent splash of 2026."

Of course, the Imai signing works well for Daikin, too. While it’s unclear exactly what Inoue’s role was in the free agent process—a rep for the company didn’t immediately respond to an inquiry—there are obvious benefits for a Japanese company to have a Japanese star playing in the venue that bears its name. Daikin was mentioned multiple times, by multiple people, during Monday’s press conference, and Inoue reportedly took part in the official photos with Imai afterwards—all things that likely delight a high-paying partner.

The Daikin Park partnership, announced in November 2024, appears to have helped shift the team’s entire approach in Asia. Crane spoke Monday about his team’s scouting presence in Tokyo, Seoul and Taiwan, all of which are recent developments."

 

sportico.com

Edited Wednesday at 03:26 PM by caulfield12

[GreenSox]

Why trade him if he's good?  He wasn't a "Sign-to-trade."  That's what signing middle relievers is for.
Plus, if he's good, the Sox will likely be .500ish and  WC contenders (as long as the pitching doesn't take a step back, which, but for the Rule 5 guys, it kind of did last year). 

[Bob Sacamano]

5 minutes ago, GreenSox said:

Why trade him if he's good?  He wasn't a "Sign-to-trade."  That's what signing middle relievers is for.
Plus, if he's good, the Sox will likely be .500ish and  WC contenders (as long as the pitching doesn't take a step back, which, but for the Rule 5 guys, it kind of did last year). 

Gotta be open and listen though. Only guaranteed to have him for 2 years. He doesn’t sign the deal he signed to then sign a team friendly deal. Possible, but he’s targeting to sign a huge deal when he’s 28 and proven himself.

Edited Wednesday at 03:32 PM by Bob Sacamano

[southsider2k5]

6 minutes ago, GreenSox said:

Why trade him if he's good?  He wasn't a "Sign-to-trade."  That's what signing middle relievers is for.
Plus, if he's good, the Sox will likely be .500ish and  WC contenders (as long as the pitching doesn't take a step back, which, but for the Rule 5 guys, it kind of did last year). 

Because if he is good, he is leaving in two years anyway, so you get what you can get for him.

[PaleAleSox]

9 minutes ago, Bob Sacamano said:

Gotta be open and listen though. Only guaranteed to have him for 2 years. He doesn’t sign the deal he signed to then sign a team friendly deal. Possible, but he’s targeting to sign a huge deal when he’s 28 and proven himself.

Ishbia can do it. Also who knows what a “big deal” looks like after the lock out. 

[soxrwhite]

1 hour ago, southsider2k5 said:

Because if he is good, he is leaving in two years anyway, so you get what you can get for him.

This " get what you can" is not a winning formula.

[ChiSoxFanMike]

1 hour ago, southsider2k5 said:

Because if he is good, he is leaving in two years anyway, so you get what you can get for him.

Or you can open the checkbook to keep good players on your team for years to come. That’s an idea too.

[southsider2k5]

20 minutes ago, soxrwhite said:

This " get what you can" is not a winning formula.

This is a team coming off of it's 3rd straight 100 loss season.  It is the definition of not a winning formula.  Realistically, it should be in talent accumulation stage, and if Murakami is anywhere near the contract he thought he was getting before he came to MLB, it isn't going to come from the White Sox.  Losing him for nothing isn't a winning formula either.

[southsider2k5]

3 minutes ago, ChiSoxFanMike said:

Or you can open the checkbook to keep good players on your team for years to come. That’s an idea too.

Look, when Jeff Dunham does his show, he might keep changing puppets and personalities, but at the end of the day, it is still the same puppeteer running the characters.  Until Jerry is out of the picture, I am going to assume the White Sox will operate the same way they have for the last 45 years.

[ChiSoxFanMike]

11 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

Look, when Jeff Dunham does his show, he might keep changing puppets and personalities, but at the end of the day, it is still the same puppeteer running the characters.  Until Jerry is out of the picture, I am going to assume the White Sox will operate the same way they have for the last 45 years.

The clock on Jerry is ticking, and even if you assume he’s immortal, this team has ZERO guaranteed contracts on the books after 2027. They could give Murakami whatever AAV he’s looking for and their payroll would still be nothing. There is no excuse to not keep him if he’s as advertised.

[southsider2k5]

2 minutes ago, ChiSoxFanMike said:

The clock on Jerry is ticking, and even if you assume he’s immortal, this team has ZERO guaranteed contracts on the books after 2027. They could give Murakami whatever AAV he’s looking for and their payroll would still be nothing. There is no excuse to not keep him if he’s as advertised.

They COULD, but if Jerry is in charge, they won't.  Hell they just had to go beg to get $40 million to sign this contract which was a fraction of what was expected.  If the bidding adds a zero, do you expect the Sox to be involved?  I sure don't.

[DirtySox]

8 minutes ago, ChiSoxFanMike said:

The clock on Jerry is ticking, and even if you assume he’s immortal, this team has ZERO guaranteed contracts on the books after 2027. They could give Murakami whatever AAV he’s looking for and their payroll would still be nothing. There is no excuse to not keep him if he’s as advertised.

They certainly could. But why do you think they would operate any differently until Jerry is out of the picture? I would prepare to not get too attached to Murakami.