Another big name is hitting the open market, as Nippon Professional Baseball’s Tokyo Yakult Swallows planned on officially posting Munetaka Murakami on Friday.

Starting Saturday, the Japanese masher will have 45 days to reach a deal with a major league team. If Murakami remains unsigned by 5 p.m. on Dec. 22, he will return to the Swallows.

One of several players expected to make the transition from NPB to MLB this winter , Murakami is expected to command a sizable contract after hitting 246 home runs with a .951 OPS over eight seasons in Tokyo. The 25-year-old’s best campaign came in 2022, when he crushed 56 dingers, breaking the single-season NPB home run record set by Sadaharu Oh (55) in 1964.

With tantalizing power, a high ceiling and youth on his side, Murakami’s free agency will d

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