Since the day he made his big league debut, White Sox fans have fallen in love with first baseman Munetaka Murakami. It helps that his first big league home run was one of the lone bright spots in an otherwise disastrous season-opener, but Murakami went on to homer in each of his first three big league games. It was perhaps that early that White Sox fans started calling for the team to sign Murakami to a long-term deal. The baseball season is long and full of ups and downs, and Murakami has certainly seen his fair share throughout the season– but has a recent slump changed the organization’s mind about keeping Murakami around long term?
Chris Getz received questions about an extension for Murakami as early as April, saying the team had not yet had conversations with Murakami’s reps about a deal on April 24th. Somewhere between then and now, that has changed, however. Back in August, Chris Getz lit White Sox circles on fire when he admitted that the team has had conversations regarding an extension, and Murakami has made it clear that the interest is mutual. But those conversations may have slowed down amid a brutal slump, as USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported in his most recent Sunday notes column.
White Sox say there is “no urgency” to sign Munetaka Murakami to a contract extension amid his recent struggles, per @BNightengale
— Adrian White (@AdrianWhiteSox) September 20, 2026
Chicago’s slugger is hitting .107 with 54 K in 103 AB over his last 29 games. #WhiteSox pic.twitter.com/UnuPKEu5vl
Murakami enters Tuesday’s series opener against the Royals slashing .202/.346/.463 with 32 home runs and an .809 OPS in 121 games this season. Those numbers are good on the surface, but over the past month, it’s been tough sledding for the 26-year-old. The Japanese slugger hit just .147 in the month of August, and he’s hitting just .121 in the month of September. Even at his best, Murakami had a tendency to strike out at a high clip, but it’s amplified to a near-50% mark in recent days. Despite his contact reaching new lows, Murakami remains a power threat and continues to walk at a high rate, so he still provides some value to the team. But the strikeouts are enough to give the White Sox pause when it comes to an extension.
Murakami's struggles make an extension complicated for both sides
Murakami’s recent struggles add some interesting wrinkles to the situation. Murakami’s struggles could drastically lower his price and make any deal the White Sox can make with him have excellent value. At the same time, Murakami may not be interested in taking a discount if he believes he will get better and increase his value. The White Sox paying him for what he can be is a risky move if he’s never able to make the adjustments necessary. There are risks involved for both sides, and it’s unclear how willing the White Sox or Murakami are to take it on.
A Murakami extension surely wouldn’t happen until the offseason, and it’ll undoubtedly be one of the main stories for White Sox fans to follow during the winter. Do the While Sox believe enough in Murakami to sign him to a long term deal? Is Murakami willing to take a discount given his recent struggled? All will be clear in time.
Add us as a preferred source on Google