It’s been a little over a week since the White Sox biggest free agent splash in years. The team took advantage of a quieter-than-expected market to land Japanese star Munetaka Murakami to fill their need at first base and bring an exciting young player to the south side. Not a lot is known about Murakami’s market, even after the fact, but a local insider recently shed some light on one team that the White Sox outbid for his services.
Phoenix radio host John Gambadoro reports that the Arizona Diamondbacks were one of the teams interested in Murakami before he ultimately made the decision to head to Chicago. Whether Arizona offered Murakami a contract and what it looked like if so are not clear, but the news is unsurprising given the Dbacks’ unclear picture at first base. Arizona traded Josh Naylor to the Seattle Mariners at the trade deadline, and he’s since signed a five-year, $90+ million contract to remain in Seattle long-term. They acquired first-baseman Tyler Locklear in a different trade, but he hit just .175 during the final stretch of the season.
Murakami was one of the highest upside bats available on the free agent market, bringing light-tower power to the states with a high amount of swing-and-miss risk. Ultimately, MLB teams want to see him translate his talent over to the states before paying him a big money contract. Rather than taking a longer term deal at a lower AAV than he was hoping, Murakami opted for a short-term deal in Chicago, giving himself two years to develop at the major league level before hitting free agency again at 27. The Diamondbacks, who went all the way to the World Series just three years ago and have hung around in contention ever since, would’ve provided an opportunity on a more competitive team for Murakami.
Murakami's decision is an encouraging sign for the White Sox
Murakami’s decision to choose the White Sox over Arizona and likely others is an encouraging sign for Chris Getz and White Sox fans. Getz has been insistent about the change of perception around the organization this offseason, and he now has concrete evidence of this shift.
Getz on free agents sensing the White Sox improvement/development: "When we meet with these agents or talk to these players, the reputation is really strong. They can sense what’s going on here. People want to come here. They do. They want to work here, they want to play here."
— Scott Merkin (@scottmerkin) December 10, 2025
Landing a player that some outlets considered a top ten free agent in the class over teams with a much more recent history of winning is a big step in the right direction. The hiring of Assistant GM Carlos Rodriguez, who was also in contention for a position with the Yankees this offseason, is another example of folks around the league buying into Chris Getz’s vision for the White Sox future. Since taking over as general manager in 2024, Getz has worked tirelessly to reshape this organization from the ground up, and he’s starting to get buy-in from smart people around the league.
Whether the White Sox will bring in any other notable free agents this offseason is unclear, but adding a talent like Murakami over teams with more recent success is a major step. The White Sox will look to take another leap in 2026 as another group of young talent makes their way to the south side. If they continue to make savvy moves to improve their processes, they’ll become a destination for marquee free agents before we know it.