Fantasy Baseball Impact of Munetaka Murakami and Willson Contreras Joining New Teams

Two sluggers joined new teams on Sunday, as Japanese corner infielder Munetaka Murakami signed with the White Sox, and catcher/first baseman/DH Willson Contreras was traded from the Cardinals to the Red Sox.

The two acquiring teams are at different stages in their development, but both moves bring intrigue both in real-life and fantasy baseball. Player movement comes slow during the MLB offseason, so seeing two major names join new teams on the same day is a cause for mild celebration.

Let's look at the real-life and fantasy impact of Murakami and Contreras finding new teams. We'll look at what it means for each player and team then go through the fantasy baseball implications. Most stats are from MLB.com.

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White Sox Add a Slugger

Murakami was projected to approach $100 million in his move from Nippon Professional Baseball to Major League Baseball. The time after he was posted didn't produce many rumors, and in the end, Murakami decided to join one of the worst teams of the past few seasons.

The Chicago White Sox set the record for most losses in a season in 2024, finishing 41-121, and they followed it up by going 60-102 last year, better than only the Colorado Rockies (who went 43-119). When Murakami's long-term market didn't materialize the way he hoped, he accepted a two-year, $34-million contract with Chicago.

It might be a surprise, but it works for both parties. The White Sox seem a few years away from even sniffing average, but they have some intriguing young players who could quickly help this roster improve, even if not to a playoff level. Adding a lottery ticket in Murakami for two years is essentially a no-risk play for a team with very little salary on the books.

For Murakami, the long-term market was reportedly at a lower per-year number, so he decided to take a short deal for $17 million per year, letting himself hit free agency again at 27 years old.

Fantasy Baseball Impact

Murakami is a corner infield thumper. He holds the single-season Nippon League record with 56 home runs, showing as much pure power as any hitter in the game. That might be about all he does, though.

Murakami is rated as a below-average fielder at both third base and first base, and he is a slow runner, not adding base-running value. Add in a lot of swing-and-miss, and it's not a surprise that teams were wary of giving the Japanese star a long-term, high-value contract.

With the White Sox, he gets a chance to play in a low-stress environment on a team that probably won't win. Even if Murakami is struggling defensively or striking out too much, he is likely to stay in the lineup to work through his issues and build value. This is a very tradeable contract if Murakami succeeds, which might end up being the best value he brings to Chicago.

Murakami is likely to hit home runs but also strike out a lot and probably have a low batting average. I'm not excited about him as a fantasy player unless you can get him in the late rounds as a lottery ticket/home run bench guy. If he is going as a daily starter, it will be best to leave Murakami for a better value play.

Contreras Joins Hopeful Winner

With St. Louis in a retooling period, it isn't a surprise to see veterans heading to new teams. The Cardinals traded starting pitcher Sonny Gray to the Red Sox last month, and the teams reunited here on a deal to swap Contreras for starting pitcher Hunter Dobbins and two prospects.

Boston has a need for power in the middle of the lineup after trading Rafael Devers last season, and third baseman Alex Bregman remains unsigned. Contreras is likely to spend his time at first base and DH with the Red Sox, and if they could bring back Bregman, this would be a very formidable lineup.

The Sox are coming off a playoff appearance and have a roster full of young, talented players. Contreras' addition greatly improves a position (1B) that was below average offensively last season.

With enough starting pitching to fill the rotation, Boston was able to deal from a strength to fill a weakness. Injuries to pitchers can build up quickly, but the Red Sox should be equipped to handle the wear and tear of an MLB season without Dobbins, who is a promising young player.

Fantasy Baseball Impact

Contreras is moving to a better offensive team, which will improve his RBI and run-scoring opportunities. He is also going from a slight pitcher's park to one of the best hitter's parks in baseball, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see Contreras put up inflated numbers.

He has missed a little time, but Contreras has produced when on the field. He will be a good fantasy player this season, especially if he is eligible to slot in at catcher, where he doesn't play much anymore.

Dobbins is a decent strikeout pitcher who will be in the Cardinals' rotation. He has only 61 major league innings, so it's hard to know what to expect, but he will be a good streamer when he has the right matchups.

Conclusion

Contreras is a good fantasy player, but I'm expecting Murakami to be drafted higher than where I'm comfortable given the worries about his game. If he lasts into the late rounds, he will be a good high-upside pickup who won't hurt you due to his lower draft stock.

Both players might be able to slot into multiple positions depending on your league, which would raise their value; that's especially true of Contreras, as I mentioned above. Depending on how high he rises in preseason ADP, I anticipate recommending Contreras often. The opposite is true of Murakami.