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Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami will be posted Friday, sources told ESPN, opening a 45-day window that begins 8 a.m. ET Saturday and ends 5 p.m. Dec. 22. The 25-year-old left-handed third baseman, who holds the NPB Japanese-player single-season homer record with 56 in 2022 and has 246 career blasts for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, played 56 games this year due to an oblique injury yet hit 22 with a .273/.379/.663 line. Despite swing-and-miss concerns, executives emerged impressed, and he’s expected to draw a nine-figure deal plus a posting fee of at least $16.9 million.

Prepared by Emily Rhodes and reviewed by editorial team.