CHICAGO -- There will be a new White Sox addition within their 2026 Rate Field home clubhouse, thanks to another new addition within their 2026 Rate Field home clubhouse.
Munetaka Murakami is the latter of those two, after agreeing to a two-year, $34 million deal as possibly the biggest signing from the pacific rim in franchise history.
As for that first new addition? Well, it’s a bidet, as recommended by the power hitting first baseman from Japan during his first trip to the South Side of Chicago and ensuing walkthrough of the facilities.
“One thing that stood out, one thing he did notice is I think we didn’t have a bidet in our locker room,” general manager Chris Getz told MLB.com. “That’s something that’s new to him, and we are putting one in. So, it was like, ‘Ok, that’s new. We can do that.’”
During that same clubhouse tour at his introductory press conference, Murakami was introduced to the Trajekt machine. Questions exist, fair or not, concerning Murakami’s swing-and-miss propensity as well as being able to manage the higher velocity of many Major League pitchers.
Getting the chance to work with the Trajekt might help him with that, as the 26-year-old never had such an option available while he launched 159 home runs over a four-season run from 2021-24 with Yakult. But these aren’t the only focal points in helping Murakami adjust to a new country, let alone Major League Baseball.
“Obviously from a nutrition standpoint, his diet, his preferences are going to be different than some of the players that we currently have had,” said Getz of Murakami. “That’s something that’s been noted.”
Murakami doesn’t seem fearful of the challenges. He didn’t express a love for the Chicago cold upon visiting in December, but he still hoped to take part in SoxFest Live this past weekend with temperatures even more frigid than one month ago. Any mentions of his name over two days at the Ramova Theatre, any video recorded by Murakami in absentia, were greeted with monstrous fan reactions.
After he was initially introduced in December, Murakami gave brief opening remarks in English. He then pulled out and held up a pair of white socks, flashing a broad smile and surprising his new boss.
“I had no idea. It was hilarious,” Getz said. “There’s a sense of humor in there.
“There’s a real presence. He’s got a good smile. It seemed he had been through situations on a stage like that before. He seemed very comfortable.”
Adjustments came for the White Sox, as well, in an immediately positive manner. They had second baseman Tadahito Iguchi and closer Shingo Takatsu from Japan, with both contributing to the 2005 World Series title. Yet, they’d never had a presence from that area with as much notoriety as Murakami.
His addition opened doors into foreign White Sox interest that were previously shut. The White Sox are studying other teams to maximize this interest.
“You look at what the Dodgers have done. They have the unicorn in [Shohei] Ohtani. They also have [Yoshinobu] Yamamoto and [Roki] Sasaki,” said White Sox executive vice president Brooks Boyer, who recently traveled to Japan for the team. “Those Dodger games are distributed significantly back to Japan, which makes that a very attractive product to the Japanese sponsorship market.
“When you talk about Murakami, being a Triple Crown winner in Japan, being a hero in the last [World Baseball Classic], being young, there’s a lot of interest in Japan for our games that will go back there. That opens some unique opportunities.
“The Cubs have taken advantage of this with [Shota] Imanaga and [Seiya] Suzuki, and we are just kind of following the Dodgers playbook,” Boyer added. “How to best extend our brand to the Japanese market, which obviously draws interest from Japanese-based sponsors.”
Getz isn’t worried about Murakami missing a bulk of his first Spring Training through participating in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. He supported the prideful competitor’s World Baseball Classic time with Japan from the outset.
There’s an expectation of a clean Murakami transition in this important moment for the White Sox.
“I don’t think there’s a White Sox conversation with an agent, a player, a fan, a friend that doesn’t involve conversations about Murakami,” Getz said. “It’s just a jolt, it’s positive buzz. The excitement lies in kind of the unknown, as well.
“You’ve got a player that hasn’t played in the Major Leagues and has had a storied career in Japan, and he’s broken records, he’s won MVPs. He’s a guy that comes with credibility but also there’s this level of unknown how it’s going to translate. … We view this as a win. And it’s just given everyone a little bit extra boost.”