Japanese third baseman Munetaka Murakami will be posted by the Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball today, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. The slugger will have 45 days to reach an agreement with an MLB team, beginning on November 8.
Murakami has long been expected to make the jump from NPB to MLB following the 2025 season. He’ll now officially become one of the most intriguing names on the free agent market. Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette were the only hitters to rank ahead of him in our Top 50 Free Agents list.
The 25-year-old Murakami has been one of the preeminent power hitters in NPB over the past seven seasons. He launched 56 home runs in 2022, breaking the single-season record held by Sadaharu Oh. Murakami slugged 246 home runs across eight NPB seasons.
Since Murakami is now 25, he is considered a professional under MLB’s international free agency rules. That means he’s free to negotiate with all 30 teams without restrictions. Players who make the move to MLB prior to turning 25 are considered amateurs and are subject to the international bonus pool system, which significantly limits their earning power.
Murakami slashed .270/.394/.557 with the Swallows, though there is plenty of swing-and-miss to his game. He struck out at least 28% of the time in each of his last three seasons. Strikeout numbers are typically lower in NPB, so that mark should be expected to rise when Murakami faces MLB pitching.
It’s unclear where Murakami will fit on the defensive side. He’s spent most of his time at third base over the past five seasons, but he also has ample experience at first base. Murakami made a single start in right field this past year. Scouts have labeled him as an average fielder who will probably fit best at first base.
“Future Dodger” is the typical response to any discussion around Murakami, as the club already has Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki. With Freddie Freeman occupying first base and Max Muncy returning to play third, Los Angeles doesn’t have an opening on the corners. Ohtani is locked in at DH. The Dodgers may have seen enough in the one-game sample this season to try Murakami in the outfield, where their options are less certain. Fellow big markets like the Red Sox, Mets, and Yankees seem like easier fits.
The team that signs Murakami will have to pay a posting fee to the Swallows. The fee is 20% of the contract’s first $25MM, 17.5% of the next $25MM, and 15% of spending above $50MM.
As a Yakult Swallows fan, start from Seth Greisinger years at Yakult, IMHO, Murakami probably will be high risk high reward situation for the Dodgers. Dude strike out a lot, but also hit HR a lot. He was a catcher during his HS, so his throwing power was good. Thats why the Yakult placed him at 3rd. But his defense was so-so at best. Okamoto from the Yomiuri Giants seems safer bet IMHO. Good defense, hit for average, but also club at least 30HR per season during his years at Yomiuri.
But, if the Dodgers can help Murakami defense problem, and his strikeout problem, man… He probably will have a HR race with Shohei.
I believe Murakami still can developing into a better fielder. Its the Yakult Swallows problem. They bad at developing position player, worse at developing pitchers. Its a miracle that the Swallows can win the 2021 Japan Series, and almost repeating it in 2022
Dodgers have 1st, 3rd, and DH locked so I doubt they sign him unless they want to let go of max muncy
Murakami seems likelier to go to the Yankees because they have 1st and 3rd base questions
Muncy is unlikely to be a productive player for too much longer.
Juan they have been saying that for five years now.
Murekami is an awful defender and the king of striking out. He makes no sense for the dodgers
Muncy contract ends after 2026 season, Freeman 2027. Ohtani still had 8 years. Muncy is 36 years old in 2026, Freeman 37. So yeah, their corner infielders are a little bit old.
Or they can try moving Murakami to 2nd, like the Devil Rays did with Akinori Iwamura. Dude play at 3rd his whole career at Yakult, but move to 2nd base in Tampa
It’s unlikely that he’d be put at second base since there are already concerns about his defense at third
Dodgers can use him as depth next season. Give Freeman and Muncy more days off while bringing him into a new league slowly and with less pressure to produce immediately….
3rd is more difficult position than 2nd
A 100 million dollar depth player? LOL
VM
I know it’s the internet and reading and subtlety aren’t really valued here, but
“Dodgers can use him as depth NEXT SEASON”
*EMPHASIS mine
The Dodgers gave Micheal Conforto 17 mil to be a bench player. So 100 mil for a depth player isn’t completely out of the question.
Conforto started 122 games
He came off the bench 16 times
D- troll job
That’s like saying Boston should have kept Devers and simply moved him to 2b lol
C’mon people
I saw an interview with him in Japanese a few months ago where he said he would prefer West Coast but isn’t closing any doors.
This has Padres written all over it. They need a 1b, he prefers west coast and SD has no prospects left to trade to acquire players.
Conforto was third in OF AB with 418.
In 4th, Alex Call with 73
I had no clue he played that many games. Maybe signing him was initially to be a bench player and as it does in baseball and all sports s*** happens and someone got hurt. My whole point is that Conforto is barely worth half of that 17mil dollars he got. Not quite a minor league deal with an invite to spring training but he’s definitely not worth 17 million a year. Especially for a .199 hitter and someone who Kd twice as much as he walked.
The Padres need power but their GM has never traded or signed players with high SO% other than at catcher. I don’t see Murakami as a fit there.
“Maybe signing him was initially to be a bench player and as it does in baseball and all sports s*** happens and someone got hurt. ”
Nope. No Dodger OFer spent significant time on the IL
Conforto was signed to the the starting LFer
Taking advantage of those 27, 28, and 29 man spots on the active roster that MLB will give the Dodgers if necessary.
Mariners need a 1B since naylor is a FA and the traded away their up and coming First basemen in the minors.
Devers speaks Japanese? Whoa.
@jazzhands/toupee….Edman spent awhile there, and before the ankle injury he was more CF than 2B. Maybe it depends on your definition of significant.
And man did he suck!
It is LA
3rd base isn’t that hard, tell em’ Wash.
Another, he can’t speak English for God’s sake.
Why not the Brewers? Need a 3B and they do have a history with Japanese players
If they are able to have guys like Kim as bench players im sure they are willing to have 100 million on the bench
Its incredibly hard
Freddy doesn’t take days off.
Behind Muncy, they have a few players that can handle third when necessary. Allows the bench to stay sharp and get at bats.
The Dodgers are one of the few teams you don’t have to try to force a square peg into a round hole to be successful.
The pieces they have fit their team. They need to compliment those pieces.
That being said, I’m interested to see what they do this off-season.
Michael Conforto was not a bench player. He STARTED in +120 games this year, but was thankfully left off all post-season roster levels..
He was paid $17M to be a negative WAR player and have the worst offensive year of his career.
Fabian Ardaya in his article about the signing said Conforto was signed to platoon in the OF. I don’t know what injuries the Dodgers had that moved the players around on the roster, but Conforto was not signed to fill the role he ended up in.
Not true. You have to have quick reactions at third, but that’s about it. At second you need range, catch a ball mid-stride while trying to line up timing with the bag, and believe it or not, a stronger arm as you are frequently trying to make throws on DP’s with momentum heading away from first.
Third used to be tougher than it is now because you needed range to come in against bunters, but that doesn’t really exist in MLB these days. In addition to that, with the proliferation of LH hitters, third might even be easier than first as you have just as many rockets screaming down to first as you do third, but you have to worry about holding runners as well.
Murekami is a big K guy and an awful defender.. can’t see him being a dodger target
Bob,
I’m pretty sure God is multilingual.
I agree. The Dodgers FO like versatility. That’s why Hye-Seong Kim was offered a contract. Murakami seems pigeon-holed into two fielding positions max and reports say he’s not particularly super at either of them. You’d be crossing your fingers and hope he is offensive results made up for the defensive deficiencies. They already do that with Teoscar.
Murakami Is not known for being agile as he’s quite a big boy, weighing well over 200lbs. Depending on a body like that trying to move laterally in either direction wouldn’t bolster any pitcher’s confidence.
He would be a decent run stopper. But that’s the wrong sport.
Mariners fan I don’t see the fit with the Yankees either. Rice is going to play first and while McMahon isn’t much with the bat, his defense is awesome. And the Yankees are also trying to get more athletic.
Cashman was talking about Rice getting time at catcher. The media up here is talking about Alonso to the Yankees.
Joe…. I see a big fit with Yankees if he can play 3rd and 1st and try him out in outfield he fits in the rotation of moving guys around like they did this yr.I don’t think Yankees are going to pay Grish . or if both Grish and belli both leave there’s a spot!25 yr old lefty masher 80 grade power in Yankees stadium? Yes please I can see one of belli n Grish not back but both highly unlikely…..Joe let me know what you think buddy
Yankees fan I think Grisham is gone but they’ll resign Bellinger. I don’t want Murakami at all. He can’t hit velo. He has a below .100 batting average on pitches over 93 mph. Most of the league throws that hard.
I can see dodgers trading Muncy and get younger at that position with the player from Japan
Dodgers aren’t trading a vital offensive piece who happens to be one of the clubhouse leaders.
They scored two less runs a game when he was out of the lineup.
And he’s a clutch playoff performer.
Why does everyone insist Muncy is replaceable by some random player because of some random stats?
“some random stats?”
Stats are how performance is measured
@ Another….Because they’re not aware of how Muncy lengthens the line mostly due to power and superb plate discipline. Then there’s the heady, crisp defensive plays this year that was very reminiscent of JT in ‘20.
Murakami is likely going to a place other than LA. That’s not just betting the field, more about roster construction and LAD valuing defensive skill/versatility.
LAD getting Kim and Edman are prime examples of this.
You’re praising Muncy’s defense of all things? Gotta be a troll job
Muncy is very important to that team he isn’t going anywhere just yet
Yankees don’t need Murakami at 3B. He is a below average fielder, and the Yankees are prioritizing defense at 3B with Ryan McMahon. Yankees have Ben Rice at 1B.
Japan shouldn’t be allowed to be the Dodgers international AAA affiliate. The next CBA needs to address this.
This is a shortsighted comment.
If Munetaka Murakami is signing an EIGHT year contract, there is ZERO chance that one more year of Muncy or even two years of Freeman are going to be prohibitive. Both players are in their mid-30s and could benefit from more time off.
It comes down to whether or not the Dodgers value his bat as an impact bat or one that is flawed with the high strikeout numbers. If the Dodgers want him, they are obviously going to get him. Let him mix in in 2026, play third in 2027, and first in 2028 moving forward.
Muncy is 35 years old and has been limited to about 550 AB over the last two years combined. He’s under contract through 2026. A year of overlap wouldn’t be a big deal especially if this Japanese import will play a bit of outfield.
@sad… do you think the Mariners would consider him if they’re not able to sign Naylor?… or try to sign both and see if Murakami doesn’t suck too much at 3B? His bat is of course his main calling card and perhaps Mariners ownership would be willing to increase payroll more after they came so close to winning the AL pennant.
A 35 year old Muncy, on a 1 year/$10m deal, isn’t going to stop the Dodgers from upgrading.
One think you don’t see a lot of, whether coming from international or the minors, is a decrease in strikeouts when they start seeing Majors pitching. This dude may hit 30 bombs and have 250 K’s.
Why are you so sure he’s heading to the Dodgers?? There is no rule that says any Japanese player coming across in the transfer portal automatically lands in La-La Land.
To the the Dodgers- on another “infamous deferred contract” till he’s paid till he’s 100 years young.
Next Dodger.
I think the writing is on the wall
Baseball js so broken! Deferring money is horseshit even for my Yankees.
Yanks I don’t have a problem with deferrals at all. I do think the “present day value” of them is total BS. If a player signs 10 years for $700 million then that’s $70 million per year.
“Yanks I don’t have a problem with deferrals at all. I do think the “present day value” of them is total BS. If a player signs 10 years for $700 million then that’s $70 million per year.”
A person who doesn’t understand deferrals
There’s not much difference between signing for 10/$460 with no deferrals or 10/$700 with the deferrals Ohtani got.
That’s why the CBT tax is the same
Yanks really don’t do deferments, at least not at the point of making an offer. They may negotiate several of players they’re cutting tho. They should fight for with fire.
Time value of money. If more than 97% of the contract value is paid out in years 11-20 how do you with a straight face say that it’s a 10-yr $700mm contract? People who lack an understanding of basic finance are usually the ones appalled by deferrals because they don’t have a clue.
They’ve been doing deferrals for decades. Its just become news now because there’s a soft salary cap (luxury tax) that teams are trying not to go over
$46mm hit on CBT, not $2mm first 10 years. Dodgers massively over. Wait, you think the market for Ohtani was really $700mm over 10 years? We need to do business.
That’s why the CBT tax is a joke. A hard cap AND a hard floor based on AAV is needed.
Dodgerfan it’s not that I don’t understand how money works nor do I have a problem with the Dodgers taking advantage of the rules. To me it’s that it should be figured as total of the contract and the years the player plays.
Time value of money. $20 today is not what $20 was worth in 2000. Today $20 can purchase what $37 used to buy in 2000
Dodgers paid $253 mm in CBT/revenue sharing in 2024. Gee, I wonder what small market owners did with those funds? I’m sure they all spent it on payroll.
It’s not as much of an advantage as people think. Not saying it’s insignificant but still haven’t found one person explain it to me what exactly the Dodgers advantage is. 99% of the time the explanation makes zero sense and/or plain wrong!! Just complaints that show that person doesn’t have a clue what they’re talking about.
Astros fan here.
I don’t think the Dodgers are ‘taking advantage’ of anything. Every owner could use the same financial tools to build a competitive roster. The real issue is structural: MLB is a cooperative monopoly where the incentives to make a profit are stronger than the incentives to win. Because players don’t have an alternative league that offers comparable pay or visibility, owners enjoy a built-in advantage and wages get suppressed for fringe players.
Other teams absolutely can spend, but we’ve watched several clubs over the last 7 years ramp up payroll only to hit ownership or financial constraints that limit how long they can keep competing. The Dodgers aren’t exploiting loopholes. They’re just (arguably) one of the only ownership groups choosing to operate at the competitive edge of the current system. If they weren’t winning and/or weren’t highly profitable, their ownership would almost certainly pull back on spending.
Where Dodgers have the advantage doing deferrsls and a lot of teams don’t is you have to have deep pockets. Thr money has to go in a trust ahead of time so thr money is secure.. most owners don’t have thr money or liquidity to do large amounts like that upfront
Some truth in that but Ohtani is obviously an outlier deferred contract though. I think fans would be surprised what their team can really do financially but choose not to. Not disagreeing that the Dodgers have obvious financial advantages but smaller market teams certainly can do a lot more.
gcg
They can pay the player now, or put the money into the trust now to pay out later.
If you can pay them now, you can afford the deferral.
Casey,
There is a more elegant word to describe a professional sports league than “cooperative monopoly”. It’s a cartel. That’s a dirty word to some people because in real life we only really know them in the sense of drug cartels, but in economic theory it’s just a loose group or formal association of market participants who instead of competing, collude with each other to restrict competition, ensure themselves higher prices, dominate market share, and erect barriers to entry. OPEC for example is another example of a formal cartel.
You highlight one of the issues why the MLB cartel is currently broken. In the past, there was not only competitive pride where every team wanted to win because trying to win is the reason why you play the game in the first place. Winning also was what they had to do to make their money in an era where ticket sales, merchandise sales, concession sales, and local broadcasting were how teams made their money. You had to give fans something they wanted to watch.
Now there are so many ways to make money – tax breaks, revenue sharing, real estate appreciation, national TV contracts that are really only based on 6-12 teams that people want to watch but nonetheless pay everybody, etc etc. etc. – that don’t require any effort on behalf of ownership whatsoever. The incentives are completely misaligned and we wonder how we wound up with a league where the bottom third is nothing but rent seekers who aren’t serious about putting a quality product on a baseball field.
I don’t want to see a salary cap, crazy billionaires should be able to throw their money away on a star player if they want to. Better that than being a tightwad with it. But there needs to be both a salary floor, as well as more aggressive mechanisms to force teams to hit certain payroll targets to remain eligible for things like revenue sharing.
DW04
Boom! 100
Yeah, I admit I should have used cartel instead lol
People are calling the Ohtani deferments a Dodgers advantage but are forgetting that the deferments were Ohtani’s idea. He gets to avoid California state taxes on the bulk of his $700 million deal because the compensation is paid out 10 years after he ‘earned’ it. This wasn’t necessarily something the Dodgers cooked up to entice Ohtani. It’s so Ohtani can avoid taxes.
The problem with the league is that teams with bigger pockets can spend the money and it it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t cripple the organization for years. See DJ Lemaihu. It someone like the Reds did the same thing, they would be hard pressed to compete.
People need to remember that most players will not accept deferrals. Especially the size of Ohtani’s contract. He’s such a rare bird with his endorsement income that he offered only to be paid 2 mill a year. But 99% of players are not Ohtani and they have demanding expensive lifestyles and very much prefer to have their entire salary paid out on time as normal. (You spend what you make, it’s the American Way.)
Fair, but with annual salaries in excess of what the layman will earn over their lifetime, these athletes have a luxury of having a diverse investment portfolio that would allow financial freedom. Most of these players are locked into what their agencies want as well, instead of doing what’s financially smart
@debubba The Candelaria and Moustakas contracts were two recent duds on the Reds books. Didn’t seem to change much. Still able to invest in the team.
According to Forbes the Reds had $325 million in revenue in 2024, with an operating income of $30 million. Becoming financially crippled for half a decade over paying one player $15 million per year is a deliberate choice, not a necessity.
Reds were an example, maybe a poor one. Lemaihu, Ellsbury there are many example where team has paid a ransom for player who do not work out, yet they just find another person on free agency and plug the hole. Small markets can’t do that whiteout crippling payroll.
I believe the only team that shows their profit margin because they are public ally traded is Atlanta, so Forbes is speculating, although probably a good guess…
I realize nobody is opening up their actual books for Forbes, but their financial modeling is probably very close to accurate for most teams, most of the time.
We know their attendance, we know what they generally charge for tickets, we have a very good idea of what the big TV deals and revenue sharing are worth, we know how much merch they sell, etc. Having the Braves’ info be public does give some hints at how to estimate a team’s operational costs. The only question would be what are they pulling in off of advertising and sponsorships which might be tougher numbers to back into along with non-operational items like other assets they may own and their related cash flows.
I’d agree their valuation estimates are more dubious because they are likely just slapping on what their writers think a fair EBITDA multiple would be, which has no basis in going through a formal appraisal, soliciting bids from interested parties, and whether the current owner finds any such offers compelling enough to accept. But enough of the requisite numbers are out there that I can trust they’re probably able to back into some really good revenue and profit estimates.
No today it’s takes 37 dollars to purchase what 20 dollars would purchase in 2000. But yes you just posted it backwards. The idea is understood.
Nope.
You mean we’ve been brainwashed with Mom, Apple Pie and Baseball?
WWII movies, where you had to know who won the World Series or get shot?
Cartel? or….something else….
dm687,
A hard cap and floor make the players pay for an owners issue. Increase revenue sharing and/or give small-market teams advantages in the draft.
It is actually a great option for almost everyone… Especially Ohtani who earns $100 million plus per year in endorsements now.. Once those dry up in his 40s, he gets $68 million a year for another decade into his 50s. Not a better outcome than that for Ohtain.
Works similarly for other players on a smaller scale basis.
Dodgers have built a culture that encourages this as the team collectively is all in. Win-Win for them.
If a player signs 10 years for $700 million then that’s $70 million per year.
============================
It’s not. If owe you $10,000, and I give it to you one year from now, and interest rates are 4%, I am really giving you $9,600.
A hard cap AND a hard floor based on AAV is needed.
======================
I don’t think either side wants it. The players have been taught to not accept a cap, and the owners use the threat of a cap to get everything else they want
And imho, I’m not sure a cap is warranted. If you look at the 6 division winners, only one of them came in 1st.
Dodgers have the advantage doing deferrsls and a lot of teams don’t is you have to have deep pockets.
=======================
You don’t need deep pockets to defer salary; you need deep pockets to sign players.
But if I can afford to pay you $10M this year, then I can afford to pay you $10.4M next year. That’s etched in cement.
in economic theory it’s just a loose group or formal association of market participants who instead of competing, collude with each other to restrict competition, ensure themselves higher prices, dominate market share, and erect barriers to entry.
===========================
Which is exactly what a union is. The only difference is the number of participants on both sides.
Joe Brady I understand your point but my point is that it should be considered that because the services rendered by Ohtani isn’t deferred therefore the value of the contract shouldn’t be no matter how long the paycheck is postdated for. I understand how the current system works, I just think it should be different.
Joe,
Then they would be paying him $46M each year of the contract. The $700M is just marketing by his agent.
gbs, no. When all is said and done, he will have played 10 years and received $700 million. The $46 million is a calculation trying to figure present day value. My point is I don’t give a fat rats butt about the present day value. I care about the years played and total dollar amount for playing those years regardless of when he gets his check.
When all is said and done, he will have played 10 years and received $20M. Over the subsequent 10 years he’ll get another $680M. You may not give a fat rats butt, but the NPV matters.
It isn’t done until he gets his last paycheck. And you’re still missing my point. I disagree with the usage of the rule not the understanding of it.
Okay, enjoy tilting at this particular windmill.
Ohtani and anyone else is worth whatever the market says he is I personally think he is worth more than 700 million….he is doing things NOBODY has prior…..it’s very simple my fellow baseball fans if the owners didn’t have the money and willingness to pay they simply wouldn’t pay!!!!
Not to put political spin on things this is still a capitalist industry/country you can’t tell anyone how to spend or not spend ……telling owners how to spend or not spend is just wrong
And that money is nothing to the Dodgers. I really dont care what the small market teams do with it, nor do most fans. What everyone outside of the LA and NY markets wants is a system that doesn’t allow a few teams to control the market every year. That is basically what is happening.
The pathetic thing about all of this is that most of the players union actually earns less than they would with a fair system Put in a cap with a hard floor and ceiling and the bottom 80% of the players will be better off. They jsut aren’t smart intelligent enough to understand it.
First statement you have made with an outside viewpoint.
That being said, purposely circumventing the CBT is not supposed to be allowed. The Dodgers can pull it off because they know the commissioner doesn’t have the kahuna’s to tell them no. If Pittsburgh had tried to do that with Ohtani you can 100% bet that MLB would have stepped in .. and possibly even penalized them for even thinking about it. (Sorry Pittsburgh fans, just using you as the first money challenged team I could think of off the bat).
Basically the Dodgers are that one player in your fantasy league that continually tries to circumvent the rules by coming up with something so dishonest no one would ever think to specifcally spell it out in the by-laws … all the while knowing they will get away with it because of who they are. Very similar to the absolutely ridiculous stuff going on at USC with the fake punt nonsense. Extremely pathetic and dishonest, and they actually pat themselves on the back for coming up with it. That’s your Dodgers. I think it’s because they are afraid they can’t win without finding a way to circumvent the rules.
UGA
“without finding a way to circumvent the rules.”
Yawn
What rule did they circumvent?
UGA,
You don’t like the system, but you don’t care if small market teams spend revenue sharing money on players? That would help prevent a few teams from controlling the market every year.
I’m curious what your think “a fair system” is. It seems to be a hard floor and cap, which doesn’t seem “smart intelligent” since it helps the owners and penalizes the players.
JazzHands,
They circumvented the rule of “UGA_Steve doesn’t like it” so it’s cheating.
UGA_Steve,
Thank God you aren’t a lawyer. You would lose every case and complain the other side was cheating by knowing the jaw better than you.
The dodgers monopoly on Japanese players and their spending of money on them like monopoly money got you 11 likes, from 11 dodgers fans. IMO and I’m a Phillies fan, he ends up, sadly in the rotten apple.
*dodgers monopoly on Japanese players”
Only a few good ones recently. Apparently other teams have signed the best Japanese players over the years.
But don’t let reality stop a good victim narrative.
Dodgers have only signed 4 players directly out of Japan in the last 19 years- Kuroda, Maeda, Yamamoto, Sasaki. Anyone who claims they have a monopoly is a) oblivious b) too lazy to do research c) an unabashed Dodger hater d) all of the above.
Let’s see if the Dodgers want him or if they pass.
I think they pass. They have a really potent offense already and value defense.
Agree with you. Dodgers are mentioned here for obvious understandable reasons but he seems an unlikely fit, especially if he profiles as 1B ultimately. IMHO that also makes him slightly less valuable but still see a ton of teams that will make a play for him with 3B/1b openings. Dodgers have corner outfield needs and possibly 2b. That’s about it.
The Dodgers have every option available to them. Just because someone is coming from Japan doesn’t make him the best fit for the team.
Dodgers do need to upgrade the lineup. The aging is starting to show and very evident in postseason. I can see upgrades in the OF and potentially 2B. Probably 3B in 2027. Would be really ballsy if not reckless to place Murakami at a corner OF position. I’d only do that if you’re dealing Teoscar Hernandez. Can’t have both in the same OF.
I’m a guy who loves defense so take that into consideration, but if the Dodgers added Ke’bryan Hayes at third they’d create a defensive wall on the left side and the lineup could easily absorb his meh bat.
Angels could use a third baseman far more,than the Dodgers.
That would be an interesting acquisition. Dodger fans would be all over Hayes though for not hitting. I think internally some want Freeland to slide into 3B in 2027.
We have Anthony Rendon! Ha ha.
Halos,
The Dodgers don’t want meh anything. Which is why Conforto won’t be returning. He had a meh offensive year.
Hopefully he does better with the next team. Seems like a nice guy with decent stats previously.
So Bregman?
Never Bregman. And why? They have Muncy.
Agreed. I don’t think they will move on him. Not unless they feel confident he or Muncy can play second, and I don’t think either can.
I am figuring he is a Padre or a Giant, though I would not sleep on the Mariners or Angels.
Save us the trouble and sign with the Dodgers already.
I’ve already bought his Dodgers shirt from the MLB shop.,
I’m waiting for him to start the dodgers ritual trolling other teams by pretending to think about where to sign.
And rename the team the Los Angeles Dojjā‘s?
I’m sure Rendon will be back to form for the Angels so we don’t need Murakami.
Arte has him and Trout penciled in for 150 games of prime prosuction.
That’ll create plenty of leads for Stephenson and Joyce to nail down.
Especially with Soler destined to pop 30+ bombs next year.
And Moreno is projecting Adell will drop his strike out rate like the California State Legislature projects revenues in order to balance the state budget.
@prov356. It wouldn’t surprise me rendon goes off on his contract year. That’s why I would keep him on the bench.
Rex – That’s a good point. Although considering he doesn’t really like baseball, maybe he’ll sit it out and be done. I doubt he’d look for another contract and I doubt even more any team would even give him a call.
MLB free agency should be renamed Dodgers Yankees Mets sign your favorite players away
One final year of this🤞
You’ll be sorry when nothing really changes. Bigger penalties, no QO and possibly an international draft but nothing greater.
There is only one change needed to fix this issue.
For luxury tax purposes, a players salary counts fully towards the luxury tax – regardless of any deferrals. Teams do not get to double dip in the savings from deferrals.
Big bang boom, that solves 95% of the issues people have with the Dodgers.
Now if you complain that they are spending more than your team, well tell your owner to stop being so cheap (looking at you Nutting, and I’m not even a pirates fan)
“Teams do not get to double dip in the savings from deferrals”
How is it a “double dip”?
All contracts should be counted at present value, not just the deferrals. That would also eliminate the problem of people complaining about deferrals.
Because a team gets to:
1. Pay a player less money today.
2. Have the salary count less towards the luxury tax.
See how that’s double dipping? There are two ways the team benefits from deferrals.
Counting everything at the “present value” doesn’t solve the problem because any changes to non-deffered deals will be minimal. So the teams still get the two benefits from the deferrals.
Why do you think the pay the player less money today?
The deferrals HAVE TO BE funded now
The Dodgers are paying Ohtani $2 million a year. They are putting $44 million aside to fund the $68 million deferral payments.
That counts $46 million towards the CBT
You just showed yourself why they pay the player less money today.
Ohtani signed a 10/700MM deal.
For 2025, he’s getting paid 2MM. See how that’s not 70.
The Dodgers also have to put away the 44MM (I thought it was 46 or 48 but regardless) to fund the rest. So the total amount the Dodgers have put away is 2 + 44 which is 46! 46 is less than 70.
Why not just sign a deal for 10/460 or whatever the nondeferred amount is, if it’s all the same? 10/460 is a lot different than 10/700 (with deferrals).
It’s because they’re too stupid to realize that the $700mm contract value is a nominal amount. Real dollars after you present value the payouts is obviously much lower. Trying to explain basic finance to people who are financially illiterate is not easy.
Wrong. The way to fix it is a hard cap and a hard floor, take the AAV of the deal (including deferred punnets, signing bonuses and all achievement bonuses). This will never happen of course, and we won’t be watching baseball in 2027
Gotta love when the response from dodgers fans is just full of incorrect assumptions and has to belittle people in an attempt to get their point across.
You’re missing the whole point of the luxury tax, which is to make it so that big market teams can’t just push around the smaller guys because eventually all the spending will come back to bite them. The current implementation of it does not so that.
That is under the assumption that Ohtani’s market was 10 years $700mm. Do you really believe that? Dodgers and Ohtani didn’t think so.
They clearly thought so, because otherwise he wouldn’t have signed a deal for that much.
You still didn’t answer the question.
If there is the whole concern about present value then why not just skip the deferrals and pay Ohtani the money now? Couldn’t Ohtani make more money on his own by investing that 46MM that he would have been paid for this season – rather than getting 2MM now and then 68MM in whatever, 10 or whatever years?
It’s the same thing from the Dodgers side, they need to have that money anyways, why not just give it to Ohtani and not deal with the deferrals and “inflated” compensation value?
Joe
“For 2025, he’s getting paid 2MM. See how that’s not 70.
The Dodgers also have to put away the 44MM (I thought it was 46 or 48 but regardless) to fund the rest. So the total amount the Dodgers have put away is 2 + 44 which is 46! 46 is less than 70.”
It’s $46 ($2+$44). Which is why it counts $46 million against the CBT.
“You just showed yourself why they pay the player less money today.”
Why do they?
Explain to me the incorrect assumptions?
Dodgers paid out $253mm between CBT and revenue sharing in 2024. And yet teams like the Marlins take that money and pocket it.
“You’re missing the whole point of the luxury tax,”
To keep player salaries down.
The Dodgers are paying Ohtani $46 million this year. He counts $46 million towards the CBT.
What’s the issue?
Do you see the basic math which shows that 46 is less than 70? If not I can’t provide any help to you.
Yep, sure is keeping players salary down when you look at the mega deals that have been signed recently.
I think a lot of people think the negotiations go like
Team: We will give you 10/$500
Player: No. 10/$700
Team: How about 10/$600
Player: Deal
Team: Ok. $500 million deferred
Player: :shrug:
MBA and CPA here. I gave up trying to explain the time value of money right around the time that Bobby Bonilla day became a thing.
100
Thank you for your service
Lots of, I guess, like 40 year olds here wanting to be taxed today on their Social Security or, for the lucky few,their pensions.
mathball mathball mathball.
Its not belittling. You simply are not smart enough to ubderstand a basic subject
Thanks for proving the point yet again. Little ironic to make a statement like that and include a typo.
I might not “ubderstand” something, but I sure do understand the concept.
Try to “ubderstand” the purpose of the luxury tax, and then “ubderstand” why deferrals decreasing large contracts luxury tax hit helps out those teams even more and why they should actually count as the full value.
Ubderly ridiculous.
It is amazing how people refuse to look at basic facts. Very sad that people like this can vote in elections.
Pot calling the kettle black here huh.
It will make -0- difference, which is why it will never happen. Instead of Bregman making $30M in PV salary, he’ll get paid $30M in real cash.
And I’d make a modest wager that neither side even raises the issue. If my boss wants to defer $10k of salary, for cash flow purposes, and give me $10,400 on 1/31/26, I’d take that without thinking about it.
And no one in the world will care.
mlbdodgerfan2015
Trying to explain basic finance to people who are financially illiterate is not easy.
=========================
If you buy a $300k house, pay out $1M over 30 years, do you own a $300k house or a $1M house? But you’ll never get some people to accept that.
mlbtraderumors.com/2024/11/2024-25-top-50-mlb-free…
You and anyone who agrees with this need to learn how to be a fan. Putting restrictions on your favourite team by demanding they sign your favourite player to an albatross contract and watch him become terrible while it cripples your favourite team is a weird way to be a fan. If you aren’t smart enough to understand why your favourite player needs to move on just cheer when the team tells you to cheer. Otherwise just be quiet until they tell you to cheer again
This is the only reaosn I was ok with the Ohtani BS. The Didgers will probably be paying $46m a year in CBT for 10-12 years after Ohtani is gone … that being said, I also firmly believe they will cry about it and the other idiot owners will cave and zero out the CBT sum.
Just like Ohtani having zero knowledge about the gambling scandal. Sure, sure. And the Astros were just trying to beat the stuff stuck to the insides of the trash cans and the timing was coincidental.
UGA_Steve
The Dodgers have to put the money in escrow every year. So when they finally pay Ohtani, it from money they put in escrow during his contract.
So this year, they will put this years outage m Ohtani contact money into escrow.
Ohtani was making millions in Japan, let his parents control his money and they gave him a fairly small monthly allowance because he told them he didn’t need much. Sure sounds like someone who trusts people who are close to him to handle things
Not to mention all the evidence proving the interpreter stole from him.
Again Steve, never become a lawyer. Free advice. You’re welcome.
Another Dodgers Fan I’m a fan of the David Samson podcast. Listening to him talk about it, he says that after having to initially show the money in the escrow account, MLB pays no further attention to it. I’m not saying what is or isn’t in an escrow account, just that apparently it so well regulated.
Joe
They are an investment group that is probably making better returns on that money than most would. No reason for them not to keep the money in the account.
I’m sure they’re doing things correctly. I just found it interesting when I heard David Samson talking about it. I thought it would be watched pretty closely.
These are billion dollar operations. I think even the cheapest owners would be way too embarrassed to use money set aside for a deferred contract and be found out.
Although we’ve seen owners do amazingly stupid things in the name of being cheap. And only McCourt was forced to sell.
UGA
“The Didgers will probably be paying $46m a year in CBT for 10-12 years after Ohtani is gone ”
Nope. Wrong
Ohtani counts $46 million against the CBT from 2025 to 2034. Then he counts nothing.
That’s because the Dodgers are paying $46 million for Ohtani between 2025 and 2034.
Why are the worst, most sure of themselves takes, always the absolutely least informed
Because stupid never sleeps.
Free travel and then sign with the Dodgers for more $ than the bottom 10 team’s total salary combined…
We got it…
He’s Japanese so he must be worth all the money, right?
Of course he wants to come to the Dodgers. Do the Dodgers need him to be a Dodger?
That’s the question.
This guy is going to the Mets to replace alonzo
This is the correct answer.
Stop looking at my FA picks….!
If this happens, Stearns needs to be fired.
Would much rather have Alonso or take other course than to rely on this bust waiting to happen
He’ll sign for the Dodgers for 300 mil deferred until 2055.
It is depressing to think that all these posters who say something like “Oh, he’s going to the Dodgers for sure” about every free agent actually THINK THEY ARE CLEVER. One of the curses of our time is stupidity posing as cleverness.
I know. They’re only right most of the time. So depressing.
He’s going to the White Sox FOR SURE. The White Sox sign ALL the good free agents. It’s ruining baseball I say!
He’s dodgers if they want him. Just bc you can sign a guy at 25 doesn’t mean you should. Giants over paid for Lee and if this guy is striking out 29% of time in Japan – odds are he won’t starting anywhere for dodgers
@alan53 – “One of the curses of our time is stupidity posing as cleverness.”
A large number of folks wearing red hats just felt their ears burning, and are looking around to figure out what is going on.
I think you just proved his point.
@2slow – Presumably you are another Mad Hatter…
I didn’t wear hats. But I don’t make fun of others that do regardless of the color.
You should be busted in the mouth forspewing such ignorance but alas another sociology communist shows their true colors
I know, right? My algorithm tells me he’ll be a red.
Also the dull uniformity of opinion. But you wonder if they just spout these repetitive rejoinders because they truly believe them or if it’s all just performative outrage like everything else in this country ??
It’s because they have heard other people say it.
“Oh, he’s going to the Dodgers for sure” about every free agent
=========================
The way to think about this is that the Dodgers outspend everyone else, so the expectation should be that the Dodgers are more likely to sign any given player.
If MLB really wanted this “fixed” they’d have instituted an international draft.
Robby the robot would never go against his large market masters.
MLB would love an international draft. The best players in the world not being able to negotiate their contracts is heaven for the owners
MLB can’t institute anything without the players union agreeing to it and they were only willing to trade the QO for a draft. Unless they offer more, there won’t be one.
Murakami likely wouldn’t be subject to an international draft if there were one, as he exceeds “amateur” status. A draft would be in place of the current international amateur free-for-all.
That helps the owners, not the players. Owners can depress the earnings of the international player. Teams can stash guys longer in the minors. Players might have less of an incentive to leave their countries is the money isn’t worth or if they can’t control where they play.
They can’t institute anything. It has to be collectively bargained.
Pirates are in need of a 3rd baseman.
I actually read that the Pirates are in the running to which I say, more like running away from anyone who’s actually looking for big money. Zero chance.
METS
So precious, Alan….accusing people of being “clever”. Didn’t you post daily through the summer about the Cubs being 15 back of Milwaukee by August, the White Sox and Marlins knocking them out of the race and the Cubs missing the playoffs?
Daily bias telling the world how bad of a baseball player Kyle Tucker is?
Despite all that “clever” posting you were 100% all summer and Tucker universally sits as the best player available on any list you can find.
Kettle….meet pot. Truly the definition of stupidity disguised as cleverness.
It looks like Murakami has a yen to play here.
Wow!!! Dad joke spotted !! Cleanup on Aisle 2.
Maybe Mariners to replace Suarez?
Mariners getting Tarik Skubal to replace Suarez.
Skubal to third base? Bold move Cotton!
Now you know that’s not what I meant Professor!
This seems likely to me. Idk that the Mariners have a 1B either.
Just sign with the Dodgers and get it over with.
His strikeout % is high enough as it is, but on pitches faster than 93 mph, it is very alarming. this player might not translate to the big leagues at all, where he will routinely see 99 mph.
Power seems off the chart and looks like he takes his walks but the K rate indeed very alarming. High bust potential? I’d pass.
So young that if he could just put up a massive year in MLB could see a Vladito type contract. It’ll be big regardless but imagining if he signed for just a year with an opt out.
Once upon a time, New York was the premier destination for anyone from Japan and the Yankee hat is still popular fashion there, so I’m expecting the Mets or Yankees to make it happen.
I don’t think any other teams actually have a shot but it’ll be nice for them to kick the tires and raise the price so the Mets have to basically overpay.
Premier?
I can think of maybe 3 premier Japanese players (senga, matsui, Tanaka) which would be less than the mariners, dodgers, and cubs I can name.
Before New York was a destination there was Seattle.
Now that’s a new wrinkle in the OF. But can you really afford to have Teoscar and Murakami in corner OFs? That sounds like a complete train wreck.
It would be hilarious if they were able to develop Alex Calls power like they did Chris Taylor, Muncy, and others.
What would they say then?
I wonder if the timing helps/hurts him? Example – I would say the Philies would be interested if they lost Schwarber, but with Harper as a GG glove finalist at 1B and Munetaka iffy at 3B I’m not sure they would have a clear opening for him until the Schwarber deal is worked out….unless they were willing to risk poor 3B fielding. No doubt other teams are in simialr boats, where they don’t yet know what their needs will be for sure.
It’ll definitely be a team on the Pacific or Atlantic coast.
Don’t forget the Gulf of America and the Lakes Erie & Michigan.
I would be very hesitant about signing him. I know people don’t care about batting average but he hit around the .250 range the previous 2 seasons before this one. I would would think that considering a lot of failed MLB pitchers pitch so well in Japan, that he will face much harder pitching here in the US. While he is young and can still improve, I wouldn’t wanted to risk signing him to a long term deal
If Murakami can handle 3b defensively, then I would love to see him in pinstripes using that lefty bat for the short porch.
No! The lineup doesn’t need more 3 outcome bats. It does need guys that put the ball in play and force the other team to play defense. This dude in a good year will hit 225, 30 HRs with 220+ Ks. He is a below average defender that’s destined for 1b. I’m hoping he ends up a Met!
Wouldn’t spending money on a thirdbaseman the Yankees don’t need be a waste of resources when there are greater priorities?
YBC do you think the Yankees will sign a free agent starter or trade for one??
@isoab They’ll be signing or trade for one late in the offseason.
His profile suggests he should be a Yankee. He’s exactly what they look for.
Mariners, Mets, Red Sox, Angels, Padres all could use Murakami. The Dodgers, unless they plan on using Muncy off the bench don’t really have a place for him
Have the Dodgers picked up Muncy’s option? With 1B and 3B at 35 or older isnt signing Murakami like signing all the extra, but injury prone starting pitchers?
They picked it up yesterday
Over/Under 70% Murakami becomes a ring chaser like his fellow countrymen and signs with the Dodgers?
Stop with BS Dodgers comments. It’s stupid and sickening at this point. Use logic, he’s not a fit there. LA’s biggest area of need is in the OF, turn your hate to them signing Tucker instead.
Mariners make sense with holes at the corners. Personally I’d love to see the Yankees go for him and trade McMahon. Though you may be able to keep both and have Murakami play both corners. He’d be awesome at the Stadium.
Salzilla – they plan to use the 27th spot on this guy, the 28th on the pitcher about to he posted and the 29th spot on Tucker.
Just waiting for the official approval from MLB to their request for special circumstances.
But but but… Japanese! Monopolies! Deferrals! International draft! Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my!
His Christmas present will be the huge dollars the Dodgers hand him.
I see Alonzo go to the Dodgers to be a back up first baseman,i see Murakama going there to play the outfield,I see them signing 4 starters to rebuild their pitching staff.If their is a free agent,the Doegers will sign them.Doesn’t matter if they come from Japan,Korea,Thiland,Mexico,Or any other nation.With no salary cap they can have a 40 man roster of all stars.
Should they not sign players based on where they are from?
Should they not try to sign as many good players as they can?
The amount of “He gon’ sign with LAD. Har-har” is astounding. Never stop being lazy.
Saw this dude hit a HR live last year.
I’m not a scout, so don’t have any insight to share.
But it was cool to see him and see him hit a jack
Murakami is only 25, the Dodgers will be all over him to play 3B, then move to 1B when Freeman retires. Max Muncy is depth. That would allow Murakami to ease into the 3B spot.
I don’t think the Dodgers go at this guy.
I don’t think the strikeouts will go down when moving from NPB to MLB.
Dodgers are not signing Murakami. Their money is going to the OF and bullpen.
Murakami can’t hit 95 mph fastballs in NPB. Murakami will struggle even more trying to hit 97-100 MPH fastballs in MLB.
Lots of hitters comkng from NPB/KBO are said to have trouble catching up to heaters but a lot of them do make the adjustments and have successful careers.
Yeah, but the skeptical take on Murakami notes that he struggles with both high velocity *and* against secondary pitches (only ~50% contact rate for the latter in NPB).
At Fangraphs’ free agent preview, Eric Longenhagen writes:
“MLB scouts and execs think Murakami might need to change his swing if he’s going to hit over here. His enthusiasts think he can do so.”
I can understand that at least 1 team will make an optimistic bet on Murakami’s ceiling and raw power at some amount of guaranteed money.
I just struggle to reconcile the reported concerns with predictions for Murakami like $150 million (Fangraphs) to $180 million (here at MLBTR) guaranteed. Seems like a wild amount of money to guarantee to a player who has so much swing and miss in his game that he might need to change his swing.
The list of hitters coming over from Japan and then dropping into obscurity is fairly long. I mean, there’s way more misses than hits.
Ohtani, Ichiro, Godzilla, then the cliff
What is no one signs him that he’s willing to work with this year? I really don’t know about this guys hitting skills. I watch Japanese baseball on Fubo and their best pitchers are a lot of guys who didn’t make it here. Right now the guy who is their top tier is a Cuban named Livian Moinelo they say he was always the best pitcher behind Yamamoto. I don’t know. I’m just not impressed.
He fits the Mariners well because they do need slugging corner infielder/DH types. Not sure if they will sign him though, they have more than enough swing-and-miss in their lineup. Plus, they’re on record saying that bringing Naylor back is priority #1.
If they had the budget for him and someone else good, like Naylor, and a appetite to eat or shift money if it doesnt work would be a little less concerning. From what I have read he has the kind of power that works well in Seattle so guessing its more about how the strikeouts and walks translate.
If the A’s pull ou the pocket for once and get Murakami and Bichette they would have a phenomenal infield for the Vegas A’s in 2028
Future 1B of the Boston Red Sox? I don’t like his strikeouts though. Maybe someone can convince him to get some walks at least and be a younger version of Schwarber….
So many victims in this comment thread.
Before the playoffs I heard people scoffing about the Sasaki signing when he struggled all season and was sent down. He finds his way into an emergency closer situation and all of a sudden it’s unfair again.
Every team had a chance to sign Ohtani out of Japan. He went to the Angels. Why wasn’t everyone crying the Angels have an unfair advantage?
Then he decided he wants to win and tells the Dodgers to defer money so they can sign more talent.
You know who else did that? Tom Brady. Lose money to win more. Make it up in endorsements. But baby can afford to think that way. But he already made more yearly than his contract from endorsements. Just kind room was married to a rich supermodel and didn’t need the extra money he gave up for the trans success. And from also had many more endorsements than the average NFL player.
Yamamoto wanted all the money and wanted to win. He had similar offers from multiple teams. That he chose to go to a team consistently in the playoffs, who happened to have one of his close friends and wbc teammates there was a no brainer.
Especially when that friend can tell him about the difference between a bad and great organization from experience. And it has proven out to be the case. Tell me looking back, who would have been a better fit for him?
Welcome to the side effects of perennial success in competitive professional sports. The Yankees were hated for the longest time because they won all the time. Same for the Patriots and now the Chiefs.
Embrace “the Dodgers are ruining baseball” just like the Yankees fans did with “Evil Empire”.
I hope he chooses the Mariners! He’d be a great addition to the team.
Worth exploring but I am concerned about his contact issues. If the Mariners had more budget could see taking a risk on a guy like him though, but if adding him keeps them from adding other good players could become a very regrettable signing.
“As James Schiano of Rotoworld noted, Murakami hit .095 against pitches of 93 mph or higher last year. For context, the average MLB fastball was 94.1 mph in 2025.”
No thanks
Yeah, he’s a batting practice Babe Ruth.
Maybe my lovable loser squad will offer him $12MM/4 yrs and some Skyline Chili! A guy can dream…
Isn’t he already on a plane to Toronto?
Almost every MLB player is on a plane to Toronto at some point in the season. Or the next.
Astros will take the plunge! You heard it here first!
While I don’t think it’s going to happen, I think Murakami is the exact missing piece in Detroit’s offense and a perfect long term fit at 3B. I’d definitely be trying to sign him if I was Detroit, make a valiant effort at the very least. Sure the high strikeout rate is a blemish, but his batting value more than makes up for all the striking out. I’ve seen the guy play in Japan, he’s the next coming of Saduhara Oh. Ilitch, Harris- you gotta try to get this guy.
If this doesn’t convince Harris to sign him, nothing will.
He’s a 200K Detroit kinda guy. Tigers love the lack of contact.
If he’s ring chasing he’ll sign with the Mariners.
He probably makes more sense for the Phillies than Dodgers especially if they don’t think Schwarber will re-sign and they dump Castellanos and need to replace some home runs in that lineup. He can DH, give Harper a rest at first, and they may trade Bohm at third. Or Mariners if Naylor leaves.
Time for the Angels to go out and focus on signing all the Japanese league guys that come over this year. I am surprised a team has not already done this. I know the Dodgers have a bunch of guys but a team like the Angels could make themselves the team of Japan
Future red. Nah , just kidding . Cheapest owners in the universe
He’s Japanese Joey Gallo, or Adam Dunn. Any team that wants him can have him.
He hit something like .095 on 93 mph in Japan. Average fb in MLB is over 94. Some bad math wrath coming for Murakami.
He is young. Why do you assume he can’t get better at hitting fast fastballs when he sees them more often in MLB?
Because “He hit something like .095 on 93 mph in Japan.”.
If he can improve against 94, then would he have not improved against 93?
But that said, I question that stat. If he can’t hit 93, then wouldn’t every pitch be 93+?
They don’t have as many guys in Japan throwing 93+. Their average fastball is around 90-91, where MLB averages 94+.
I’d also suspect that if you grooved 93 after 93, Murakami would time one up.
Bottom line is that I just suspect/expect that Murakami will be significantly overmatched on this side of the pacific.
a .943 fielding average at 3rd base, forgetaboutit.
He can play first, but I think he is destined for the DH role.
I think he would fit nicely at third in Philadelphia. Send Bohm packing for a mid-level OF. I say 10/275 with opt out after 3. Done!
Wladimir Balentein hit 60 home runs in NPB in 2013, 56 is not a new record
He’ll go to a large market. This posting system has always been rigged in their favor.
Dodgers will sign Murakami for 3B and move Muncy to 2B and Edman to OF. Not sure why nobody is talking about this option. Muncy has played a lot of 2B for the Dodgers before.
I’m a long time Yankee fan, and I say good for the Dodgers for doing all to win. Those were the days.
White Sox!
I saw an interesting stat about this guy that he was struggling with fastballs above 93 mph and his strikeout rate on those was close 40% like thats a red flag there. THe way i see it hes a three true outcome hitter. Good power, high walks low batting avg. But hes a defense libitaty
Dodgers may have little interest beyond driving the price. They are set at the corners next season and generally don’t target defensive liability, DH types.
Cubs suck Yakult swallows
I’d be shocked if he doesn’t sign with the Dodgers or Mariners!
If the power is legit I’d like to see the Yankees get this done. Sign Bellinger too and a glove first SS and sort everything out in spring training. Versatility is key for the Yankees going forward.
So in 2024 the Dodgers collected $581 million in revenue and paid out $416 million in payroll and luxury tax penalties. It has a valuation of $5.2 billion and a debt ratio of 7% of franchise valuation. If this is all true and I used AI to dig this up, the Dodgers really can’t afford to keep going higher in payroll, they are at or near it’s limits. It’s EBITDA is at $105 million. If the ownership wants to continue to turn a profit it’s about at it’s ceiling with payroll. I doubt they want to run the club at a loss.
I wonder why he chose to post on a Friday as opposed to a Monday or even Sunday night. Perhaps it doesn’t really matter for free agency but I thought having more business days in your FA window would be more advantageous.
Murekami upside = Joey Gallo without quality defense… has bust written all over him
How many of the “Dodgers sign all the Japanese players” complainers will say they were wrong when he signs with different team?
This is the poll I want to see when it happens.
Mr. Breslow, only 7 days left……