Projecting a long-term Munetaka Murakami contract with White Sox after Chris Getz admission

Despite a current slump that has him hitting just .144 in the month of August, there’s little doubt about the impact rookie Munetaka Murakami has had on the White Sox lineup. Murakami’s 29 home runs are tied for the White Sox team lead and lead all MLB rookies, and he’s shown the ability to change the game with his impact power and on-base prowess. The White Sox, of course, landed Murakami for a bargain of two-years, $34 million after several teams expressed concern about his contact ability and strikeouts. A few months into that investment, Murakami is the kind of player the White Sox should want to keep around long-term, and Chris Getz is fully aware of it. 

“We would love to have him here long term,” Getz said on a podcast this week with Jon Heyman of the New York Post. “It seems that he has interest and we do as well. We’ve had some conversations, but we’ll just leave it at that”. 

Reports from earlier this season indicated that the White Sox had not yet had conversations with Murakami’s reps about an extension, so it appears that sometime over the course of the year, that has changed. Murakami has publicly expressed his openness to signing with the White Sox long term, and it’s a no-brainer from the White Sox perspective as well. So now that the interest from both sides is clear, how much money is it going to take? 

Kyle Schwarber's Phillies deal could be blueprint for Munetaka Murakami

Well, thankfully, there’s a very similar player who just received a big contract earlier this year. Murakami is one of the most prominent three-true-outcome players in baseball, meaning an extremely high percentage of his plate appearances end in either a strikeout, walk, or home run. There is, perhaps, no greater example of a three-true-outcome star than Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber. Schwarber enters the weekend leading baseball with 40 home runs and 191 strikeouts. He’s also sixth in baseball with 83 walks. Despite missing six weeks with a hamstring injury, Murakami is 11th in home runs and 14th in both strikeouts and walks. He’d easily rank in the top ten in all three categories had he played the full season. 

Kyle Schwarber is on the wrong side of 30, but he cashed in his three-true-outcome stardom with a five-year, $150 million deal this offseason. Perhaps Murakami, who is significantly younger but also unproven, could look for a similar deal. It’s possible that Murakami’s side would want more because they believe he can be even better, but his defensive limitations and propensity to strike out will likely limit his earning potential. Regardless, $150 million would easily surpass the largest contract in White Sox franchise history. 

If the White Sox are going to keep Munetaka Murakami around long-term, they’re going to have to pay for it. Chris Getz undoubtedly knows this, and his comments should make White Sox fans feel optimistic about the chances of a deal getting done. The specific cost of a deal is not yet known, but there’s a very good chance that Munetaka Murakami becomes the first $100 million player in White Sox history, an honor he very much deserves. 

Let’s hope Chris Getz and the front office can get a deal over the finish line.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow