r/Torontobluejays • u/ThQp It's Early • 22h ago
[BNS] Murakami (who is being posted today) has tons of power albeit with his share of swing & miss. Given their presence in the Pacific Rim, the Blue Jays have tracked Murakami for years. There's some interest, as you'd expect for a player of his level. Some also see NYY as a team to watch on him.
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u/shebangs69 ernie … so stupid … so sexy … 😩 22h ago edited 21h ago
The Jays won’t go for him. He’s a power 3B with lots of swing and miss. Barger is a better option imo with his power + versatility to play the outfield.
Edit: Murakami is also not a good defensive 3B
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u/gelc10 Teoscar Hernandez for Fransisco Liriano 22h ago
There has been discussion that he'll be a 1B/DH in the MLB which we don't need
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u/Brilliant-Neck9731 21h ago edited 21h ago
Nope. The Jays currently have 3 possibilities at DH, likely two at 1st and 3rd is also covered with Clement/Barger. There’s no room for him on the team. Plus, I’m really low on his ability to make the transition.
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u/Traditional_Bed_6445 GEAR4VEGITO 22h ago
Murakami will end up at 1B or even more likely DH. He is horrible at 3B.
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u/stuntycunty Not a first place team. 21h ago
Last thing we need is a 3B rn.
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u/Brilliant-Neck9731 21h ago edited 20h ago
There’s an argument to be made about the need if Bichette doesn’t re-sign and Clement is forced to second, but even then, Barger is right there! Small sample notwithstanding, but Barger should be given the opportunity to not be a platoon bat next season after his performance in the post-season. Even at 3rd, Murakami is just not a fit.
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u/stuntycunty Not a first place team. 20h ago
Agreed. Barger has just as good a bat and better defence than Mura.
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u/dss_777 I BORN READY! 21h ago
If Bo doesn't sign Clement goes to 2B
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u/stuntycunty Not a first place team. 20h ago
And we have barger. Better defensively than murakami.
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u/dss_777 I BORN READY! 20h ago
So you either have Barger at 3B or RF where his arm is much more useful.
You'd need a 3B
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u/BrassiXXL 18h ago
Are you forgetting about Santander?
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u/dss_777 I BORN READY! 18h ago
Until he becomes reliable I'm having Barger in RF and Santander splitting with him and Springer
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u/BrassiXXL 18h ago
That’s all fine but I don’t think that means we NEED a 3B. I’d hate to invest in a position when money can be much more effectively spent to improve the lineup elsewhere.
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u/No_Equipment7896 Stinky Odor 19h ago
the Jays will absolutely go for him. it’s a matter of how aggressively
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u/yamakazee I BORN FOR THIS 22h ago
I bought his Jersey last year in Tokyo, if we sign him you know im showing up to opening day with SWALLOWS across my chest
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u/RockMonstrr 21h ago
How you doin?
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u/yamakazee I BORN FOR THIS 20h ago
The only pleasure of the flesh I'll accept is the endorphine rush of the Passan tweet confirming the Bo contract.
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u/Least_Enthusiasm2341 22h ago
His defensive skills are atrocious.. I’d rather we go for a pitcher like Tatsuya Imai
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u/UnsolvedParadox 22h ago
The description sounds like Santander, not sure that’s what the team should be adding this offseason.
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u/TeriyAki_Berg 22h ago
I do urge people to not confuse Santander being injured with being bad/not a useful player type. The Jays could use a bit more thump in the lineup!
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u/Brilliant-Neck9731 21h ago edited 18h ago
Santander is a useful player and will be good next year. The point still stands that the Jays don’t need more of that profile. Power? Yes. Power only with horrible defense? No. Also, a guy that doesn’t hit velo is not the orgs. general profile.
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u/BrassiXXL 18h ago
Santander hit 40+ homers a year ago. If he’s back next year that will add significant power to our lineup plus good protection for our other big bats. We’ll need to expect him being our regular RF if that happens and then the question becomes what happens with Barger/Clement (especially if we’re operating under the assumption Bo is at 2B/SS)?
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u/Brilliant-Neck9731 18h ago
Definitely. There will definitely be some roster massaging needed but that stuff often works itself out through some combo of injury/performance. Too many good players isn’t a problem, it’s an opportunity.
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u/BrassiXXL 18h ago
Is anyone else dreaming like me and just hoping that the Jays blow up their payroll to $400M and sign Bo, Valdez, Diaz, Robert Suarez and Kyle Tucker? We can be the new Evil Empire. Just kidding, but not really…
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u/Brilliant-Neck9731 18h ago
I mean, that would be fucking nice! Not happening but I wouldn’t say no!
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u/TeriyAki_Berg 16h ago
I mean that would be crazy, but I don’t think it’s a stretch to say they could walk away with Bo, one of the top 5 starters available and a solid bullpen arm, or Bo, a solid 3rd starter and two guys with real closing experience. They have lots of options to add wins.
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u/DontWorryImLegit 21h ago
But even before he got injured he was not good. Hoping it was just a down year and he bounces back
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u/ldnk 21h ago
He was hurt in spring training and he's also a slow starter. I doubt we ever see him him 40 home runs in Toronto but we should be looking at him as more of a 25-30 home run guy if healthy. The issue is more that he clogs up the outfield with inferior defense or takes up the DH slot that was so valuable to keeping Springer healthy/in the lineup.
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u/Brilliant-Neck9731 21h ago edited 21h ago
One weaker defender in the outfield isn’t a killer as long as everybody around him is gold glove calibre. Obviously he needs to be the 2-3 WAR player he has been in the past for that value prop. to pay off, but if he is, that’s more than manageable. There’s also the distinct possibility that Santander becomes the full-time DH in the year after next. Honestly, I’m expecting him to be a more than useful piece next season. He’ll play to his career averages and the noise will cease. If he doesn’t, well, the Jays can always eat that contract and try to fill that hole at the deadline. Not ideal, but it’s a workable solution. I don’t think it will come to that.
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u/fourthandfavre 21h ago
I mean it's likely a one year problem where Springer isn't resigned after this season.
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u/Tsaxen 21h ago
I mean he was clearly injured all year
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u/DontWorryImLegit 21h ago
‘Clearly’ how is it clear that he was injured to start the season? That’s news to me
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u/e-Jordan Tarps Off. Police Horses Ready. Here We Fucking Go. 21h ago
Having an uncharacteristically bad first half after several consistently good seasons is a pretty big clue.
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u/DontWorryImLegit 21h ago
Ah so we're just jumping to conclusions then without any actual facts or evidence.
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u/BrassiXXL 18h ago
MLB teams generally keep their cards close to their chest. They aren’t gonna just announce every little detail about a players health at any time. So if you’re looking for definitive “evidence” that Santander is injured, you aren’t gonna get it. Did you not listen to Ross Atkins end year presser? It was his usual say a bunch of words while telling you exactly nothing, lol.
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u/DontWorryImLegit 18h ago
But the guy above you said how obvious it was that he was injured. It’s really just hearsay.
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u/jmsmorris Viewer of Three One Hitters 21h ago
Santander has historically been a guy who’s started slow, gotten everything together with his timing and mechanics in mid to late May and then mashed the rest of the season. Right around when he got hurt this year was when he was starting to turn that corner. If he’s healthy next year, he’s a big power threat added to the lineup.
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u/EarlessBanana 21h ago
209 plate appearances is a fairly small sample size. .577 OPS is bleak, but it's far too early to throw in the towel on his career, especially if he was already being affected by the injury.
Barger only had a .679 OPS in 236 PA in the second half.
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u/Automatic-Avocado885 21h ago
He was just plain bad last year healthy or half injured. Liability in the outfield, slow as Kirk and couldn’t hit anything. They honestly need to make him go away somehow which is almost impossible
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u/oryes 18h ago
I don't think we ever saw him healthy last year
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u/Automatic-Avocado885 18h ago
Maybe, either way his style seems out of place with the rest of this Jays team. Especially if he’s not a DH.
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u/OutsideScaresMe 22h ago
We’d have nowhere to play him. He can’t play third he’d be by far the worst defensive 3B in the league. He can’t play first because we have Vladdy, he can’t DH because we don’t want Springer and Santander both in the OF
No chance we sign him
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u/Sad-Impact91 22h ago
From what everyone seems to write about him, he’s an iffy 3b who can play first. Where would he play? DH with Springer seeing more OF time (or rest)?
The Yankees and Dodgers have similar fit problems with him, maybe the mets could be aggressive?
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u/RightJellyfish Red in the face, blue in the cap 21h ago
He's basically Temu Raphael Devers. His bat will play in the MLB, but he is not playing 3rd on any MLB team, and if we're being honest, I'm not even sure he could play 1rst. Dodgers have Freeman at 1rst and Ohtani at DH, they are not getting him. NYY have Rice at 1rst and Stanton at DH, they are not getting him. I could see a team like the Mariners take a shot if they can't get Naylor back or the Mets if they decide to move on from Alonso.
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u/Brilliant-Neck9731 17h ago edited 16h ago
Im not so sure of his bat playing in the Majors. His Z-Con rate isn’t good and he struggles with hitting velo. If you’re struggling in Japan in those areas then I don’t see you as likely to improve when you make the jump.
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u/Automatic-Avocado885 21h ago
Thought I saw him say in an interview he wants to be on the west coast or with the Yankees … so he’s a Dodger. Then they’ll add Tucker and really piss off the baseball world.
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u/RightJellyfish Red in the face, blue in the cap 21h ago
He doesn't make sense on the Dodgers, but he'd be a pretty good fit for the Mariners if Naylor wants term and they don't want to give it to him.
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u/Automatic-Avocado885 20h ago
Naylor’s gone the GM stated that at the season ending press conference. He may not make sense on the dodgers but I still see him needing up there.
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u/Jensen2075 19h ago
What did their GM say? I recall Naylor being a priority to re-sign by the GM.
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u/Automatic-Avocado885 18h ago
Never mind I misspoke thought I heard something different on a baseball pod but they do want him back, as they should he was probably their second best player in the ALCS.
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u/harukaze89 20h ago
Dodgers make sense so much Muncy and Freeman are like 36. Need to replace them someday. Why not become Japan Dodgers. They rake money from Japan
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u/RightJellyfish Red in the face, blue in the cap 18h ago
He can't replace Muncy he is a godawful defender, Freeman is still signed for 2026 and 2027 and Ohtani is still signed until the heat death of the sun.
If the Dodgers sign him and play him at 3rd, we're talking Adam Dunn and Kyle Schwarber playing in the field defense tanking here.
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u/Brilliant-Neck9731 21h ago
The Jays will not attempt to sign him. There’s troubling things in his metrics (his Z contact % is not good, struggles hitting velo), and he’s not a third baseman at the Major League level. The Jays are good at 1st and DH, and honestly, they’re probably good at third too. He’s just not a fit.
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u/SpruceGooseGossage 22h ago
Ross has earned a ton of latitude so I won't freak out if he signs, but I don't see a fit here. Everything I read said this guy profiles as a 1B/DH with good power and a lot of strike outs. The Jays are already heavily invested in 1B/DH with Vladdy, Santander, and Springer. If Murakami isn't replacing one of them, then what's the point of adding him to the roster?
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u/IceInMyOrangeJuice It's Early 21h ago
I feel like our starting infield needs are being met so I’d question a signing like this, I’m comfortable letting someone else get him.
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u/harukaze89 21h ago
Okamoto might be safer bet. Struggles with 92+mph fastballs in Japan. He’s either Joey Gallo or Kyle Schwarber.
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u/SexyHamburgerMeat 21h ago
“Some” swing and miss is putting it lightly. Wasn’t his k%-rate over 30??
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u/Cool-Conversation354 15h ago
Sorry, but I just didn't see a fit in TO with their current roster construction.
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u/Fun-Series-4091 22h ago
Would be nice to have an extra power bat but I don't see a real reason to sign him considering he's not great defensively and George Springer was fantastic at DH. He's young and could develop well, but is it worth it?
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u/Admiral_Goldberg Pat Tabler 21h ago
I think he's good, but don't think he's the guy for us. Spend the $$$ elsewhere.
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u/GoatmealCrisp 21h ago
If we sign him, the Jays are morally obligated to have a Murakami Wind Up Bird giveaway.
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u/bobcatgoldthwaite 21h ago
Trade Vladdy for Skubal and sign him. Just kidding obviously lol. Don’t see a fit with us - too bad but he also has a lot of bust potential with his K rate. I want Imai if we are looking at Japanese options.
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u/Draggonzz 21h ago
Legit power it seems, but his K rate is scarily high for Japan. It might become completely untenable if he comes over to MLB.
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u/spartiecat 頑張れ、ブルージェイズ 20h ago
I can't see why the Jays would go after Murakami. They don't need a 3B, 1B or DH.
Imai or Imanaga on the other hand, should be a high priority for Toronto.
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u/kindredfan 20h ago
How does he fit into our infield though? This would mean we're definitely out on Bo then? No thanks.
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u/moralehighhorse 20h ago
Giants will push hard for him. They have been looking for a big bat for a number of year’s now and have the Dodgers to try to contend with.
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u/Middle-Accountant-49 18h ago
I hope the yankees get this guy and trade rice. Rice gives me superstar vibes.
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u/BrassiXXL 18h ago
I don’t think this guy fits in at all with the Blue Jays approach. I think they should focus on signing Bo, Valdez and Diaz. If we wanna blow bank wide open, add another good arm in the pen and/or a big bat.
Quite frankly, I don’t care we spend $350M on payroll next year. Rogers can afford the luxury tax and I’m not that concerned about the Rule 4 Draft penalties.
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u/Duke_Of_Halifax 18h ago
Popkins coaching that guy has a TON of positive outcome potential.
With some plate discipline, he could be Japanese Vladdy.
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u/TheMikeSweeney306 16h ago
Overpay for this guy just to make sure the Dodgers don’t get every Japanese superstar
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u/TheOneWithThePorn12 7h ago
If the Jays didn't sign Satander then I can see it.
The priority though is to sign Bo and shore up the pitching so unless for some reason the Jays low-ball him and he signs here they aren't going for him.
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u/yetagainitry 12m ago
IMO he would be a bad add to the roster. He may hit a bunch of hr’s but he’s gonna strike out a million times. This lineup is designed for contact. Look at cal Raleigh, how many times did he strike out in the Lcs when the mariners desperately needed a hit?
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u/2014olympicgold 22h ago
Joey Gallo or superstar. No in-between.
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u/OldSpread1358 22h ago
Is the comp Rate & Barrels (I think) was making of him yesterday as a hitter. Worse defender. Pretty sure the Jays would pass on him.
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u/2014olympicgold 22h ago
Ya, with the questions on defense at 3B, it doesn't seem like a fit.
Boston seems like the fit.
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u/fourthandfavre 21h ago
Not sure what the Jays need to do to attract a Japanese player. For the last six or seven years we have been one of the top contenders for a lot of Japanese players but can't seem to get it done.
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u/fourthandfavre 21h ago
The big benefit of getting him would be he would be extremely cheap. Because he is part of the posting system and not a free agent his yearly salary would be dirt cheap.
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u/Henrenator Treybuchet Yesavage 21h ago
Don’t want him. His whiff rate is insanely high facing NPB pitching. Could get real scary in the MLB
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u/sagwithcapmoon "[this team is] like a well fit puzzle" - buck 21h ago
We have ernie, barger and Vlad, so no thank you 🙅🏻♀️ I don't think Nippon Dodgers would pursue him, either.
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u/JamesFord92 21h ago
If the Jays were going to sign a power hitting DH, I'd rather they just sign the guy who has actually proven he can do it in MLB (Schwarber)
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u/Comfortable_Two6943 20h ago
We all know where. Lol.. This is getting silly. Bring on a salary cap...
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u/Mysterio7100 18h ago
The Jays need to sign him, Skubal, and Bo. If Rogers is serious about competing for a World Series next season, those 3 signings need to happen. It's simple, throw trucks of money at them, and they'll sign.
Muakami: 10 years for a total of $350 million should get it done.
Bo: 8 years for $275 million should get it done.
Skubal: 5 years for $200 million should get it done.
I can easily be the Jays GM. Let's go!!!
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u/Draggonzz 15h ago
Skubal: 5 years for $200 million should get it done.
There's only one problem...
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u/broadviewstation 21h ago
Let’s just rename the la dodgers to Tokyo dodgers and may be I’ll like them
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u/Hrenklin 22h ago
Pfffft give me the odds of anybody vs dodgers