Report Says Cubs Could Target Murakami if Bregman Talks Stall, Despite Okamoto Looking Like Better Fit
Much of what is reported about specific player connections is done so because either a team or player rep wants to create leverage, and that’s never more true than during the Winter Meetings. Whether it’s a smoke screen to obscure other pursuits or a way to spur increased offers from interested parties, there’s almost always an angle to the information that goes public. That could be the case regarding a tidbit about the Cubs’ interest in the third base market, or it could even be an honest mistake.
In his Winter Meetings preview from Sunday evening, Marquee’s Bruce Levine noted that the Cubs have “connected with agent Scott Boras on the viability of [Alex Bregman] coming to Chicago.” While that is neither novel nor definitive, it’s what follows a few paragraphs later that piqued my interest. Levine added that the Cubs could pursue 25-year-old Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami “if Bregman talks stall,” then seemingly included a mention of 29-year-old Kazuma Okamoto as an afterthought.
Thing is, Okamoto seems like a much better fit for the Cubs, and Michael Cerami of Bleacher Nation shared on X that he was told the Cubs are not interested in his younger counterpart. Murakami, a left-handed hitter, has some alarming swing-and-miss in his game and apparently hit just .095 against pitches of 93 mph or higher in NPB last year. Not ideal when the average MLB fastball is at 94.1 mph and rising.
Wrigley Field might not be very conducive to Murakami’s left-handed power stroke, which saw a big dropoff in extra-base hits this past season, and he’s also positionally limited. A primary third baseman who many scouts believe fits best at first base doesn’t seem like a priority for a team that already has Michael Busch.
Okamoto, on the other hand, has stood out as a possible Plan B for Bregman since word first came out about him being posted. While he comes with some of the same concerns about catching up to MLB velocity, which is common among Japanese players making that jump, he’s a right-handed hitter with experience at all four corner spots. Projections vary wildly, but Okamoto is also expected to command a much lower contract.
Kiley McDaniel has Okamoto getting $36 million for three years, with Murakami at $80 million for five years. MLB Trade Rumors is significantly higher on both, but there’s a massive disparity with Murakami earning $180 million for eight years and Okamoto at four years and $64 million. When you factor in the posting fee, the gap grows even larger.
Bregman feels like a stretch due to the Cubs’ need to add pitching, but it’s impossible to rule him out. If his price gets too high and the Cubs do end up pivoting, Okamoto could provide both depth and insurance at a much lower rate.
