Two Reasons Why Munetaka Murakami Makes Sense For the A's

Not only is Murakami a big power bat, but he also plays a position of need for the A's

Mar 21, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Japan third baseman Munetaka Murakami (55) plays his position during the sixth inning against the USA at LoanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

With just a few days left for one of the biggest power bats on the free agent market left to sign, there have been practically zero rumors swirling around Munetaka Murakami, which could leave the door open for the A's to make a splash. The deadline for Murakami to have a deal is Monday at 5 p.m. ET.

The Athletics could use an upgrade at third base this winter, and Murakami's power would be a huge boost to the club after their third basemen put up a 75 wRC+ in 2025. While he's not known for his hit tool, his glove, or his speed, his power is special. In 2022 as a 22-year-old, he ended up hitting 56 home runs in the NPB, and has followed that up with seasons of 31 and 33 homers.

This past season he played in just 56 games, but hit a ridiculous 22 home runs in that span. That's even more frequently than Nick Kurtz was crushing homers last season, which is saying something.

As for what to expect, ESPN provided a handy list of comps for the slugger: "A reasonable expectation is that Murakami can be an immediate home run threat with a solid walk rate but a low average and not much in the way of baserunning or defensive value -- maybe Kyle Manzardo/Matt Wallner on the lower end, Spencer Torkelson as a medium comp and Brent Rooker as the hopeful outcome."

There is certainly some risk involved, but this could be a nice risk for the A's to take. But are the A's even in contention for his services? Nobody knows for certain who is in and who is out, but the A's haven't been making much noise this winter, even when they're trying to lure Kim to Sacramento, or landing Mark Leiter Jr.

The only team that would appear to be out of contention would be the Boston Red Sox, who have been linked to nearly every free agent besides Murakami since the offseason began.

His main concern, and why that could help the A's

The biggest concern people have about his profile is that he strikes out a bit (28.6% in 2025), even in the NPB where strikeouts are less common. Many are worried that he won't be able to get to his power enough to make his bat special in MLB. His profile has been compared to guys like Joey Gallo and other, similar bats, which limit some of the excitement about his prodigious power.

That's the bad news, and it could end up being a pretty legitimate concern. At the same time, that concern could create enough of an opening for the A's to swoop in and get a deal done.

While they're taken care of at first base and DH, the A's could use an upgrade at either second or third base, and honestly, the internal second base options appear better than the ones at third. Plus, the club just showed that they're willing to spend a little bit with their four-year, $48 million offer to Ha-Seong Kim before he signed with the Atlanta Braves.

If the A's were serious about spending that much on an upgrade at second base, then it would make sense that they'd be willing to spend a little on third base, too. The big questions here are how much it would take, and what their plan is when top prospect Leo De Vries is ready to make his MLB debut in the coming years.

They currently have Jacob Wilson at short, so one of Wilson or De Vries will have to move to either second or third when that time comes. If the thought was that one of them would end up at second, then having a longer term solution at third wouldn't be the worst idea. The positive buzz from the signing alone would be worth it for the A's.

Power can play at altitude

Earlier this offseason when Murakami was first posted, the Colorado Rockies were named by Jim Bowden of The Athletic as a sleeper team that could make some sense for the Japanese slugger.

Bowden's reasoning: "because his power would be especially impactful at that altitude, given the light air and the lack of movement on breaking balls at Coors Field, which could help minimize his swing-and-miss issues."

By that same logic, the A's make a decent bit of sense, too. Las Vegas will be the second-highest altitude park in baseball, sitting at 2,000 feet above sea level, more than twice as high as Phoenix, which is currently the second-highest city with a ballpark. Sacramento isn't quite as high, sitting around 20 feet above sea level.

That said, it's still a minor-league park which could lead to plenty of big flies if he ends up with the A's.

So what are the odds that this Japanese slugger decides to join up with the Athletics? Probably not terribly high. But if the A's made a pitch surrounding the elevation of their park, and the vision for Las Vegas, that could be tantalizing, too.

We won't have to wait long to see where he lands.