2026 Chicago White Sox: Munetaka Murakami Signing | December 23, 2025
Written by: Colby Marchio
Last Update: Tue Dec 23, 2025, 11:21 am ET
Read Time: 4 minutes
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The Chicago White Sox enter the new season with real momentum and a renewed sense of optimism on the South Side. After showing meaningful growth in 2025, this roster suddenly feels deeper, more dangerous, and far more exciting than it has in recent years. A wave of young talent is beginning to establish itself at the big league level, while the front office made a statement move that caught the attention of the entire league. This team is still building, but the foundation is clear. There are questions to answer, flaws to overcome, and plenty of upside to explore as expectations continue to rise.
2026 White Sox Preview
What is in store for Colson Montgomery in year two?
With the biggest news of the week being the Chicago White Sox shocking the nation by signing 25-year old Japanese star third baseman Munetaka Murakami to a two-year $34 million deal, the South Side suddenly feels alive. As if the city of Chicago did not have enough excitement with the Bears taking down the Packers on Saturday, the White Sox added real depth and juice to their roster.
new threads 🧵 pic.twitter.com/xwcnOh6AH9
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) December 22, 2025
What does Murakami add to this White Sox team? Power, and plenty of it. The South Side faithful will enjoy a ton of nukes this season at the Rate. The 25-year old also has excellent plate discipline and will draw plenty of walks. However, he does struggle against off speed pitches, so his strikeout rate will likely be on the higher side this season. The best comparison for Murakami is a Max Muncy or Kyle Schwarber type of player. He has the power to crush 35 plus home runs, gets on base at a strong clip, but will strike out at a high rate.
2026 White Sox Win Total
- Over: 64.5 (-110)
- Under: 64.5 (-110)
I already had my eye on the White Sox win total this season, and now I really want to be a part of the over. I have similar thoughts as I did last year. The makeup of this team is a bunch of young talent trying to make a name for themselves in the league. There is nothing more dangerous than a roster filled with players fighting to stay in the big leagues. We saw it last year when they won 60 games, which was 19 more than the year prior when they broke the record for the worst season in MLB history.
The explosion of Colson Montgomery in the second half of the 2025 season was massive. That kid is going to make White Sox fans happy for a long time. In 71 games, the 23 year old hit .239 with an .840 OPS and crushed 21 home runs. If you watched a White Sox game in the second half of the season, you likely saw Montgomery make an impact. He showed up every night and consistently delivered.
Other young pieces stepped up as well. Catcher Kyle Teel provided a strong offensive presence. Through 71 career games, he hit .273 with a .375 OBP and recorded 19 extra base hits. Shortstop Chase Meidroth should only continue to improve. The 24-year old played 122 games this past season, batted .253, recorded 114 hits, and added 20 extra base hits.
The biggest concern for the White Sox remains pitching. Their rotation was abysmal in 2025, which was already factored in before even considering the win total over. This team is going to win games with its offense. Unless Shane Smith and Sean Burke make major strides early in their careers, pitching will continue to be the South Side biggest issue. That is fine for where this team is at. They are rebuilding and coming off a very successful 2025. The future looks bright, and bringing in Murakami is a huge first step toward another potentially exciting season on the South Side.
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Former D1 (club) baseball player, Colby has been betting since his college days at DePaul, where he had to endure the worst collegiate basketball the Big East has ever seen. He is an advanced analytics nerd and has never seen an underdog he has not liked. Hot. Corn. Bull. It does not matter the dog he loves them all.
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