Padres’ first base plan could include Munetaka Murakami

There’s a clean way to frame San Diego’s winter: last year was about triage; this one has to be about teeth. If the Padres truly plan to hang with the Dodgers over 162 and not just in the occasional head-to-head flex, they need a left-handed middle-order bat that moves scoreboards. With Luis Arraez and Ryan O’Hearn headed to free agency, first base is a question mark and designated hitter isn’t exactly welded shut, either. 

That’s not panic, that’s opportunity. This front office has been aggressive when the market presents a lane. Here’s the lane: Munetaka Murakami.

Let’s talk fit before we talk fear. Murakami brings left-handed thunder and multi-corner flexibility, third base (maybe spell Machado), first base, and a spot in left if you want to get weird. Petco can humble right-handed fence-hunters, but plus lefty lift still plays anywhere, and Murakami’s lift plays loud. Slot him behind your right-handed stars and watch the at-bats in front of him breathe. Slot him in front, and you’re forcing opposing managers to choose which problem they want to solve first.

Padres could chase Munetaka Murakami as lineup power need grows

Now the profile. In NPB, Murakami’s power isn’t theoretical; it’s lived in. He’s good for 30–40 bombs in a normal year and detonated for 56 in 2022. The on-base piece is real, too. He’s run a career .394 OBP while slugging .557. Even in a season clipped by an oblique (just 56 games), he still left the yard 22 times. 

Yes, there’s swing-and-miss, he struck out 28.6 percent of the time this year after getting it down to 20.6% during that monster 2022. And sure, MLB velocity and pitch shapes tend to nudge K’s higher. But you don’t sign Murakami expecting a contact champion. You sign him because his peak outcomes outweigh the whiffs, and because a lefty who walks, lifts, and punishes mistakes moves the Padres’ run environment up a tier.

San Diego hasn’t been passive here, either. Club evaluators made a swing through Japan in September 2025, with AJ Preller spotted in the seats for a Yakult look — Murakami front and center, with another marquee name also drawing his attention.

The question isn’t whether he’ll have a market; it’s how deep the knife fight gets. Expect the heavyweights — Red Sox, Mets, Dodgers, and yes, don’t rule out the Mariners sniffing around if they don’t re-sign Josh Naylor, even if they’re not a traditional big-ticket bully. A posting fee plus a real contract will sting. That’s the tax for power in its prime. 

If you’re San Diego, you only enter if you believe he’s a centerpiece, not a complement. But the roster context argues for bold. First base isn’t secured. The left-handed thump column is light. And this division doesn’t hand out wins for “almost.”

There’s also the usage map to consider. If you trust the glove, you can live with a first 1B/DH rotation as the baseline, you give yourself multiple lineup builds. That matters for a team that’s had to juggle injuries and role changes on the fly. Murakami’s presence lets you choose matchups instead of reacting to them. It’s not just about 35–40 homers; it’s about how those homers let you play manager in the sixth and seventh without punting offense.

The Padres need a bat that scares people. Murakami does that. The strikeouts are part of the package; so is the damage. If San Diego decides to wade into the deep end with Boston, New York, L.A., and whoever else wants a piece, it’ll be because they believe his left-handed power travels, his OBP survives, and his versatility solves two problems at once. If they’re serious about replacing Arraez/O’Hearn production and raising the ceiling, this is the swing that says so.