White Sox and Munetaka Murakami Have Talked an Extension – Can They Pull It Off?
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The Chicago White Sox suddenly look like one of the smartest teams in baseball.
After years of swimming at the bottom of the barrel and restocking their farm system, the organization is now sitting at the top of the AL Central. They have called up a handful of their top prospects, many of whom have looked right at home at the MLB level. Just as impressive, however, have been some of the trades and free agent signings they have made.
Tristan Peters came over in an offseason deal with the Tampa Bay Rays and has since made an All-Star Game. Miguel Vargas is only two years removed from joining the organization, and he now looks like a star in the making. But that's to say nothing of Munetaka Murakami.
The White Sox stunned the league when they managed to ink Murakami on a two-year deal this offseason. A coveted slugger from overseas, the organization convinced him to join their rebuild on a larger, short-term deal. It felt like a remarkably impressive get from GM Chris Getz, and this has only proven to be the case in recent months.
Murakami has fit in immediately to the Majors. While he may only carry a .219 batting average, his OPS sits at an excellent .860. Why is that? Teams are terrified to put the ball in the zone. Murakami is one of the league's best home run hitters, smashing 29 so far this season in his 98 games. He also has 74 walks on the year and a walk rate of 17.2 percent. To little surprise, that ranks inside the MLB's 99th percentile.
Murakami has been a major part of putting this franchise in position for a postseason run. There is one big problem, though: He only has one year left on his deal.
Again, Getz deserves credit for getting him in the door, but can he now get Murakami to stay? The White Sox haven't been known to hand out big money, and there is no question that this is what it will take to keep him from walking next offseason.
Could the White Sox at least look to trade him before then? Absolutely, but the whole point of bringing him in initially was to see if he can be a part of their future core. Murakami has shown he can be, and it's now time to make sure that doesn't change.
Chris Getz Talks Munetaka Murakami Extension
In a recent episode of "The Show" with Joel Sherman & Jon Heyman, Chris Getz was asked about Munetaka Murakami's breakout. And it's safe to say the front office leader sounded thrilled.
“We felt like the deal that we got, we just viewed it as upside based on where we were sitting as an organization, and he’s been such a tremendous boost," Getz said. "I feel like the White Sox, the fans, certainly the players, we’ve come alive. We have. And it was a huge help in doing that, bringing him in.”
Getz also didn't hesitate to discuss Murakami's potential future. When asked about where things stand with a possible extension, Getz made clear that the White Sox are going to work hard on making him a long-term piece.
“I think he’s really happy here, and we’re happy to have him here," Getz said. "We would love to have him here long-term. It seems like he has interest, and we do as well. We’ve had some conversations, but we’ll just leave it at that. In the meantime, hopefully he can help us get this season to a finish line that we feel really good about our 2026 season.”
For what it's worth, Getz is right: Murakami has previously said that he would love to stick around on the South Side. He called signing with the White Sox the best decision he's ever made earlier this season. Not to mention, he's seemingly been one of the team's more energetic personalities in the dugout and in the clubhouse.
With all that said, what else is Murakami supposed to say when asked about his future? None of that means he shouldn't be believed, but money talks. The White Sox are going to have to outdo other offers and make staying in Chicago worthwhile for Murakami. They're also going to have to show that these winning ways aren't some kind of fluke. Everyone is happy when you're winning!
The good news is that – for now – the White Sox do seem prepared to work with Murakami and figure out a deal. Whether the two sides can come to an agreement, however, is something only time will tell. If one thing is for sure, pulling this off would be another big win for Getz and Company.
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Elias Schuster is a sports journalist and content creator from the northern suburbs of Chicago. A graduate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he has covered the Bulls since 2019-20 and previously served as the editor of BN Bulls at Bleacher Nation. He has been the Publisher for Bulls On SI since December of the 2025-26 season. When he isn't obsessing over hoops, Elias spends his time obsessing over practically every other sport – much to his wife's dismay. He also loves strolling the streets of Chicago for the best cozy bar or restaurant to set up shop and write his next article.
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