The Seattle Mariners' interest in Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami may be fading, as they appear to view him primarily as a first baseman, a position already filled by Josh Naylor. This shift in perspective could remove them from the bidding for Murakami, who is nearing a signing deadline. The Mariners are now focusing on filling the second base position vacated by Jorge Polanco.
The Seattle Mariners have been relatively quiet since re-signing Josh Naylor back in November. Unfortunately, they have some holes to fill, as Jorge Polanco left in free agency for the New York Mets. The Mariners could use a little bit of help in the infield.
They have been pursuing Brendan Donovan and Ketel Marte as potential replacements at second base for Polanco. Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami is a free agent, and the deadline for him to sign is approaching. The Mariners have been linked to him several times, but a new update from Mark Feinsand could mean that they areMar 21, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Japan third baseman Munetaka Murakami hits a home run against the USA in the second inning at LoanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images | Rhona Wise-Imagn Images “Most teams view him as a first baseman despite the fact that he played roughly three-fourths of his games for the Yakult Swallows at third. Murakami’s power has been praised by talent evaluators -- most of whom believe that skill will translate from Japan to the Majors,” Feinsand wrote. Of course, it’s unclear how the Mariners view Murakami. But if they view him as a first baseman rather than a third baseman, that would effectively take them out of the sweepstakes. They already have Naylor at first base for the next five years, so it wouldn’t make sense for them to pursue Murakami if they view him as a first baseman. Right now, the Mariners seem more focused on trying to fill the void at second base, so Donovan and Marte make more sense as targets., simply because they have Naylor at first base. And at third base, they have two internal options: Colt Emerson and Ben Williamson. The deadline for Murakami to sign is December 22. If he does not sign by then, he will return to Japan for 2026 and will be posted again next offseason. It will be interesting to see what happens with his market, but the Mariners can likely be counted out of the sweepstakes, as they already have options at third base and have committed to Naylor as their starting first baseman for the next several years. The Mariners need another bat to make another run to the postseason in 2026, but it may not be Murakami.Curt Bishop is a freelance sports writer who graduated from Maryville University of St. Louis with a Bachelor of Arts degree in the field of Communication and currently writes as a contributor for various platforms covering Major League Baseball. Curt’s work includes covering trade and free agency predictions, as well as rumors and news.
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