Japanese Star Slugger Who Nationals Could Pursue Is Set to Officially Be Posted

Someone the Washington Nationals should seriously consider going after this offseason is set to be posted by his NPB team.

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Just about every team across Major League Baseball has tried to ramp up their presence overseas to land the next great Japanese player, and the Washington Nationals are no different.

They finally signed their first-ever player out of Japan last offseason when they brought Shinnosuke Ogasawara on board. While his debut campaign in the states was rocky at best, it was a still a landmark moment to sign him out of Nippon Professional Baseball and have him be a key part of their big league roster. The hope is that landing Ogasawara was just the beginning, and more Japanese stars will come to the nation's capital over the years.

Well, they'll have an opportunity to try and land one of the bigger names coming over from Japan this offseason, as Jeff Passan of ESPN reported that star slugger Munetaka Murakami is set to be posted by his NPB team, the Yakult Swallows, on Friday, Nov. 7.

BREAKING: Japanese star third baseman Munetaka Murakami will be posted today, officially starting the process of one of the most anticipated free agencies of the winter, sources tell ESPN. Murakami's 45-day negotiating window to come to a deal with an MLB team starts tomorrow.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 7, 2025

As pointed out by the insider, Murakami will have a 45-day negotiating window with MLB teams. Because he is 25 years old, he is considered an international free agent by Major League Baseball standards, which means all 30 teams can negotiate with him instead of him being subject to the international bonus pool system if he was under that age-25 cutoff.

It's not known if the Nationals will have interest in pursuing overseas players during the first free agency cycle under new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni. While the Boston Red Sox were active and signed two players from Japan during his tenure there, it's not clear if he and his front office are ready to jump into those waters just yet.

Why Nationals Should Go After Munetaka Murakami

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However, if they are viewing the international market as an option, then there might not be a better fit for Washington than going after Murakami. Because not only is he a high-end slugger who is going to add major pop to any lineup he's in, but he likely will also be a first baseman in the MLB.

That would solve two of their problems with one signing, as it's clear the Nationals are still trying to figure out their long-term situation at first base and need more offensive production around James Wood, CJ Abrams and Daylen Lile.

Overall, Murakami slashed .270/.394/.557 during eight NPB seasons. He also recorded 246 total home runs and broke the single-season record for homers in 2022 when he launched 56. The lefty also hit more than 30 longballs five times, all while driving in 647 total runs.

Simply put, he's one of the best power hitters on the market this winter. And while the 28% strikeout rate he had in NPB is a bit of concern as he heads over stateside where that number is bound to increase, the upside of his bat will cause teams to gloss over that deficiency.

It's not going to be cheap for the Nationals if they want to sign Murakami. Not only is he projected to get something in the $160 million range, but whichever team signs him also has to pay a posting fee to the Swallows, which adds even more money to the bill.

Still, if Washington is going to make a splash this winter, then there might not be a better option out there than Murakami.