New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns was spotted in Japan on Tuesday to scout highly touted corner infielder Munetaka Murakami.
A photo of Stearns was taken outside Meiji Jingu Stadium in Tokyo, which is where Murakami’s Tokyo Yakult Swallows play their home games:
SNY’s Danny Abriano confirmed that Stearns was on hand to watch Murakami face the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, noting that the superstar slugger could make the move to Major League Baseball as soon as this coming offseason.
While injuries have limited Murakami to just 14 Central League games this season, he came to play on Tuesday with Stearns in attendance, clubbing a walk-off two-run home run:
Entering the 2025 campaign, Murakami had established himself as the most consistent power threat in Japan.
A four-time All-Star, Murakami led the Central League in home runs in 2021 and 2022, and he was named Central League MVP each of those years as well. He also won the hitting Triple Crown in 2022.
From 2019 to 2024, Murakami hit 28 or more home runs each year and 31 or more homers in five of six years.
He was at his best in 2022 when he slashed .318/.458/.710 with a career-high 56 home runs and 134 RBI.
Murakami’s batting average dipped to .256 in 2023 and .244 last season, but he still hit over 30 home runs and drove in over 80 runs in each of those campaigns.
Several big-name pitchers have signed with MLB teams in recent years after successful stints in Japan, including Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Shota Imanaga of the Chicago Cubs and Kodai Senga of the Mets.
However, it can be argued that Murakami is the most-hyped Japanese hitter to come over since former Los Angeles Angels and current Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani did so in 2018.
Assuming Murakami is posted during the offseason as expected, he will be perhaps the top position player available in free agency aside from current Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker.
How aggressive the Mets get in their pursuit of Murakami could be linked to whether first baseman Pete Alonso opts in or out of his contract in 2026, although Murakami’s ability to play third base or DH makes having both of them on the roster a possibility.
Stearns’ presence in Tokyo suggests the Mets will be among Murakami’s suitors, but they will be far from alone.
The Dodgers figure to be in the mix given their recent history of success when it comes to signing Japanese players, and other big-market teams such as the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and Cubs could conceivably pursue him as well.
