On November 7, Major League Baseball (MLB) accepted Munetaka Murakami’s posting application submitted by the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). The following day, MLB teams were notified of the decision. MLB teams will have until 5:00 PM Eastern Time on December 22 to negotiate with Murakami.
In this article, we explore the business and economic impact of Murakami’s MLB challenge.
Introduction: Concerns from a Tokyo Yakult Swallows Fan’s Perspective
I’m a fan of the NPB’s Tokyo Yakult Swallows, and of course, I like Murakami. I’ve seen him hit home runs many times, and I also watched the game on October 3, 2022, at Jingu Stadium (the home of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows) in which he broke the NPB record for most home runs in a single season by a Japanese-born player.
It’s precisely because of these fans that I feel Murakami’s MLB challenge will be a tough one.
The biggest obstacle is his defensive woes. In 2022, when Murakami was at his peak, his fielding percentage as a third baseman was .956. This isn’t a bad number, and in fact, it was third in the Central League. However, it pales in comparison to the league leader, Kazuma Okamoto (Yomiuri Giants), who also plans to challenge MLB, at .975, and second-place Toshiro Miyazaki (Yokohama DeNA BayStars), who is .965.
It’s also important to note that NPB stadiums mainly use artificial turf. Meanwhile, as American readers know, MLB stadiums mainly use natural grass. Natural grass can take away the momentum of batted balls and can be more difficult to deal with than artificial turf.
There’s also concern that he may engage in the wrong training, a common mistake made by Japanese MLB players: watching top MLB players up close and trying to build muscles that don’t suit his physique. Another concern is how well he will fit in environmentally.
Murakami Munetaka’s Economic Impact 1. Sponsors
That said, of course, I want Murakami to succeed. This article will examine the economic and business impacts of his success, assuming his success.
When thinking about the relationship between MLB players and business, companies often sponsor teams or individual players.
A good example of this is the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD), who won the world championship for the second consecutive year, and their star player, Shohei Ohtani.
The LAD reportedly earned $200 million in sponsorship revenue in 2025. As the team boasts two Japanese stars, including Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki, it appears that a significant amount of funding is flowing in from Japanese companies.
And as of 2025, Ohtani personally had 22 sponsors. Many of them are Japanese companies, and I see advertisements and products featuring Ohtani’s photo almost daily in Japan. On the other hand, there are also sponsors, such as Topps (trading card) and West Point Investment, who appear to target not-Japanese markets.
One of Ohtani’s sponsors is the cryptocurrency exchange FTX Trading. When the company went bankrupt in 2022, some people held Ohtani personally responsible. While critical comments about Ohtani are no longer seen, this also means that various people and companies were interested in Ohtani’s abilities, and there are certain risks for both the sponsor and the player.
Sponsoring an MLB team or player is by no means a cheap investment. In Murakami’s case, the amount may not be as high as Ohtani’s, but sponsorship fees can still exceed $1 million per company. And if he performs well, sponsorship fees can increase even further the following year.
Therefore, if you are considering sponsorship, it is a good idea to raise your hand early.
Economic Impact of Munetaka Murakami 2: Impact on the Local Economy of the Home Stadium
Let’s return to Ohtani’s example. Japanese travel agency JTB reportedly estimated that Ohtani could potentially bring 25,000 visitors to the United States.
These visitors not only purchase stadium tickets, but also benefit the local area where the baseball park is located through airfare, hotels, dining, and other activities, such as sightseeing.
However, despite being a star player, Murakami’s fan base is less widespread across Japan than those of Ohtani and Sasaki. Rather, his fans are found in the Kanto region, including Tokyo, where the Tokyo Yakult Swallows are based, and in Murakami’s hometown of Kumamoto.
Conversely, if Murakami were to perform well in the MLB, more Japanese people would become interested in him, which could ultimately lead to an increase in travel to the United States and economic benefits for the local area where the baseball park is based.
Economic Benefits of Munetaka Murakami 3: Collaboration with the Japanese American Community
Related to the local economy mentioned earlier, cooperation with the Japanese American community in the city where the baseball park is based seems an option. Cities in the United States with a strong Japanese community presence include Los Angeles (with its MLB team LAD, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim [LAA]), San Francisco (with its San Francisco Giants [SF]), and Seattle (with its Seattle Mariners [SEA]).
Even in cities without a clear Japanese community, there are likely to be businesses run by Japanese or Japanese Americans.
Companies hoping to capitalize on the “Murakami effect” could partner with the Japanese community, co-hosting events and placing advertisements in media aimed at Japanese Americans. In this case, care must be taken to avoid infringing on the intellectual property rights of Murakami, the team, or MLB.
There are other Japanese players taking on the MLB challenge in 2026
This article focuses on the potential economic impact of Murakami, who is attracting a certain amount of attention in the United States, and ways to capitalize on those effects.
However, Murakami is not the only Japanese player taking on the MLB challenge in 2026. The aforementioned Okamoto is a power hitter just as good as Murakami, and there’s also talk of Hiroto Saiki of the Hanshin Tigers, who will be the best team in Japan in 2024, and Kouna Takahashi and Tatsuya Imai of the Saitama Seibu Lions in the Pacific League, as potential MLB contenders.
Therefore, players other than Murakami are also worth keeping an eye on.
