GODZILLA: PART 2

Get ready, Bronx. There’s buzz in the air thicker than the garlic fries in Section 205, and it’s not about Aaron Boone’s latest ejection. According to MLB insider and professional rumor wrangler Jim Bowden, the New York Yankees are lurking among six early favorites to snag Nippon Professional Baseball’s next megastar, Munetaka Murakami, when he’s expected to hit the open market this winter. Think Hideki Matsui, but younger, potentially better, and—wait for it—a possible fit at third base. Maybe.

Yes, you read that right. Murakami, Japan’s current Sultan of Swat, has drawn early comparisons to the Yankees’ beloved Hideki “Godzilla” Matsui. That’s enough to make any Yankees fan dig out their old No. 55 jersey and start pricing flights to Tokyo. The lefty slugger, just 25, already has 242 career home runs in NPB, a Triple Crown on his shelf, and the Japanese-born single-season home run record (56 in 2022) in his back pocket. You don’t earn a nickname like “Mura-Mash” by bunting.

Now, before you pencil him in at the hot corner in the Bronx, Bowden did toss a bit of cold sake on the idea—he thinks Murakami is a better defensive fit at first base. That’s convenient timing if you’ve been paying attention, because Paul Goldschmidt, currently holding down that spot in pinstripes, is only signed through this season. If Murakami does come stateside, and the Yankees decide to open the vault (again), he could be next in a long line of Japanese stars to make a home in the Bronx.

But here’s the plot twist: the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ah yes, Hollywood’s favorite baseball team and the unofficial U.S. welcoming committee for international talent. If there’s a global superstar available, the Dodgers are usually first in line—and already printing the jersey. Murakami is expected to be posted after the 2025 season thanks to a clause in his current NPB contract, which means teams will actually have to pay him real, grown-up money. None of that international pool slot magic here. And this deal could be massive—potentially $200 to $300 million massive. The bidding war could make Shohei Ohtani’s free agency look like a flea market haggling session.

Still, if there’s a team with both the money and the mystique to lure Murakami, it’s the Yankees. The legacy. The fanfare. The roll call. The pressure cooker of New York media asking about every 0-for-4 day. Sounds like fun, right?

Murakami could be the perfect bridge between the Yankees' proud past and a reloaded future. A power bat in the middle of the order, some flexibility at the corners, and the kind of international draw that sells out road stadiums. If he hits the market, he’ll be the most anticipated Japanese export since Matsui stormed the Bronx in 2003—and if Brian Cashman has any sense of baseball poetry, he’ll make sure Murakami doesn’t end up in Dodger Blue.

The sequel to Godzilla might be coming. But first, it’s up to the Yankees to make sure he premieres on Broadway, not Sunset Boulevard.