TOKYO, JAPAN— On Nov. 7, Japanese baseball superstar Munetaka Murakami was officially posted by his Nippon Professional Baseball team, the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, making him eligible to join a Major League Baseball club in the coming weeks.

Under international free-agent rules, all 30 MLB teams will have 45 days to negotiate with Murakami before he can sign, setting the stage for a potential shake-up across the league by December.

Murakami, a 25-year-old power-hitting infielder capable of playing both first and third base, built an impressive résumé in his native Japan, blasting 246 home runs over eight seasons—including a monster 2022 campaign in which his 56 homers set a new NPB single-season record.

American fans may also remember Murakami from Japan’s championship run at the 2023 Wor

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