The White Sox already took a swing on Munetaka Murakami, and that bet paid off in a big way.
Chicago signed the Japanese phenom to a two-year, $34 million deal after his value had slipped because of concerns about his swing-and-miss rate, his ability to handle velocity, and his consistency. Murakami answered those doubts with a huge rookie season, batting .207/.347/.478 with 35 home runs in 127 games.
Now, after a season driven heavily by Murakami, the White Sox are expected to be active again in free agency. With three major Japanese free agents set to be posted, the question is whether Chicago goes back to that market.
Teruaki Sato stands out as the most obvious power bat in the group, but he also looks a lot like Murakami - maybe too much like him. Both hitters bring massive power and plenty of swing-and-miss, and both have posted high strikeout rates in the NPB.
In 2026, Sato hit .306/.383/.609 with 39 home runs and 164 strikeouts. The White Sox do not need another slugger, and they certainly do not need another hitter with that kind of strikeout profile.
With Murakami and Colson Montgomery already projected to start in 2027, Sato probably does not fit Chicago’s plans.
Kaima Taira is a different conversation. The White Sox need starting pitching, so there could be real interest there.
Taira has worked both as a starter and as a high-leverage reliever for the Seibu Lions. After saving 31 games in 2025, he moved back into the rotation in 2026 and was excellent, posting a 1.36 ERA over 146 innings.
Still, there are reasons for pause. Since 2018, Taira’s career high in innings is 150, and that kind of workload may not appeal to a White Sox club that watched several pitchers fade late in the year after reaching career highs in innings.
His slight frame, listed at 5-foot-8, 220 pounds, will also raise injury questions for teams. If Chicago wants him as a reliever, that’s one thing.
If the goal is to stabilize the rotation, Taira may not be the answer.
Hiromi Itoh may be the cleaner fit if the White Sox decide to shop in Japan again. He does not have Taira’s eye-popping stuff, but he brings experience, consistency, and innings.
In 2026, Itoh posted a 3.18 ERA in 172.2 innings, and he threw a career-high 196.2 innings in 2025. His 5-foot-9, 180-pound build is not ideal for a starter, but he has shown durability throughout his career.
If Chicago goes back into the Japanese market, Itoh might be the one who makes the most sense.
In Other News...
Anthony Kays White Sox Season Brought Real Value And One Ugly Question
Anthony Kay gave the White Sox plenty to feel good about in 2026, even if his season came with more than a little edge. He reached career highs with 10 wins, 33 appearances and 129 strikeouts, and along the way he carved out a strange little place in club history, from becoming the pitcher with the lowest uniform number ever to start a postseason game for Chicago to turning in a start that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.
The value was real enough, especially in a year when he also showed he could handle left-handed hitters and pitch his way through bases-loaded trouble. But Kays season also left behind one ugly question that hangs over an otherwise productive year, and it is the kind of issue the White Sox cannot simply shrug off if they want his gains to mean something beyond one useful regular season. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Face A Rotation Question Cheap Fixes May Not Solve
The White Sox have spent enough time shopping in the short-term pitching aisle to know the bargains can cut both ways. Last offseason, smaller bets on Anthony Kay and Erick Fedde gave the club serviceable innings and helped push the team into the postseason, a reminder that modest investments can still matter when a rotation needs stabilizing.
But the broader pattern has been harder to ignore, with some of those quick fixes outperforming expectations and others falling short of the mark. As Chicago looks ahead, the starting pitcher market is going to be part of the conversation again, because the club still has to decide whether another low-cost patch is enough or whether the rotation needs a more lasting answer. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Kept Betting On Luis Robert Jr And It Cost Them
Luis Robert Jr.s rise and fall has become one of the clearest reminders of how quickly a franchise can go from building around a centerpiece to trying to move on from one. After his breakout 2023 season, the White Sox kept betting on the talented center fielder even as injuries and performance issues chipped away at his value in 2024 and 2025. His production had slipped below league average, but the appeal of his upside never really disappeared, which is why his name kept surfacing in roster decisions and trade conversations.
Now Robert is headed into free agency with interest expected from several teams, leaving Chicago to reckon with what it got and what it never quite could. For the White Sox, it is another costly chapter in a rebuild that has been forced to absorb both the promise Robert once represented and the reality of how little certainty came with it. [Read more 🡒]