MLB Rumors: Red Sox Named Top-5 Suitor For Slugging Japanese Superstar

The Boston Red Sox have a long, spotty record with recruiting stars from the top Japanese professional leagues..

Outside of landing Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2007, the Red Sox have whiffed at luring generational talents such as Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki. However, Boston successfully signed solid but unspectacular contributors in Junichi Tazawa, Hideki Okajima, Hirokazu Sawamura and Masataka Yoshida — to name a few.

So, what will next offseason bring?

Corner infielder Munetaka Murakami is set to be one of the top players available in free agency. And, during a recent Bleacher Report podcast, MLB insider Jon Heyman identified the Red Sox as one of his top-five “fits” for Murakami. Heyman noted that Alex Bregman’s contract uncertainty — he owns a $40 million player option for 2026 — makes it difficult to assess Boston’s chances of landing Murakami.

“What’s his contract gonna look like? … I don’t have a crystal ball,” Heyman said. ” … Red Sox, they didn’t (extend) Bregman, right? Bregman’s a free agent; I think he’s a great fit there, obviously. He’s been awesome with Boston. … I think they need to sign Bregman. So, I’m not going to call Boston the favorite. That’s why they’re Number 4 on my Murakami list.”

Potential fits for Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami, per @JonHeyman:

Mariners, Dodgers, Mets, Red Sox 🍿 pic.twitter.com/PDB1wOpXmb

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) August 13, 2025

Murakami, 25, is a prototypical lefty slugger with the ability to play both corner-infield spots, though he’s spent most of his time at third base over the last four-plus seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top league in Japan.

In his first 28 games this season, Murakami posted a .311 average with seven homers and a 1.003 OPS. He averaged 37.2 homers the previous six campaigns, including 56 in 2022.