First base is on the list of remaining needs for the Arizona Diamondbacks this offseason. Arizona Sports radio host John Gambadoro reported that Arizona showed interest in Munetaka Murakami before he signed a two-year deal with the Chicago White Sox.
Gambadoro’s tweet said Murakami was “one of the few Asian players they had interest in”. It’s unclear if that includes corner infielder Kazuma Okamoto, a player linked to the Diamondbacks by MLB Insider Jon Heyman.
Murakami’s MLB arrival has been long anticipated since Team Japan’s win in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. The Japanese slugger had some big hits in the tournament. He slugged a home run off Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly in the championship game at loanDepot Park. Following two-plus more seasons in the Nippon Professional Baseball League, he was posted by the Yakult Swallows and became a free agent.
Murakami ultimately signed for $34 million with the White Sox. That figure came well short of the contracts that MLB Trade Rumors and FanGraphs’ median crowd source projected for the star Japanese slugger. The former projected eight years for $180 million and the latter six years for $132 million.
Why the Diamondbacks Were Interested in Munetaka Murakami
The Diamondbacks’ first base situation is an awful mess, to put it lightly. After starting the 2025 season with Josh Naylor. While Naylor hit well, he was one of five players the club moved at the deadline.
The team tried out Tyler Locklear, but he struggled for two months before suffering a catastrophic injury to his left shoulder and elbow in a collision. The injury ultimately required surgery, which will sideline Locklear to begin the 2026 season.
With uncertainty at the position, it makes sense for the club to kick the tires on a potential high-upside player. Murakami offers more power upside than Pavin Smith. The latter has never hit more than 11 home runs in a single season. Signing the Japanese slugger would have moved Smith back to his 2025 role as the strong half of the designated hitter platoon.
Smith had a very bizarre 2025 season. He got off to an insane start, but slumped for the better part of three months before oblique and quad injuries cut his season short. He still held a .265/.361/.456 slash against right-handed pitchers, which was 27% better than the average hitter (127 wRC+). The club would certainly love him to repeat that production, albeit with more consistency.
Diamondbacks Plans at First Base
First base is still a need for the Diamondbacks. It’s unclear how or when they’ll address it, as the resolution of Ketel Marte’s trade situation takes priority.
If Arizona wanted to go to the trade market, the Orioles just signed Pete Alonso to a five-year deal. That leaves Ryan Mountcastle as a potential stopgap option. The Diamondbacks could see if Mountcastle can rebound with a change of scenery.
Mountcastle boasts solid contact quality metrics, with a 47.1% hard-hit rate and an 11.7% barrel rate in 2025. He’s also a capable defender at first base, a strong upgrade over Smith and Locklear. He put up 4.7 bWAR/3.0 fWAR between 2023-24. Various injuries have limited Mountcastle to just 328 games over the last three seasons.
Outside of Okamoto, there aren’t many free-agent solutions at first base. Luis Arráez and Victor Caratini are the only other two players at the position projected for more than 1.0 fWAR in 2026. Neither player are ideal fits. Arráez lacks power and defensive ability at the position, and Caratini is a catcher by trade. Their best option in free agency might be to take a flyer on Rhys Hoskins, who turns 33 in March.
The fallback option would be to stick with Smith. That would require the team to find a platoon partner at the position, which may not be ideal for a mid-market club. The Diamondbacks already signed Luken Baker to a minor league deal as a potential option. Former franchise star Paul Goldschmidt would be another possibility.
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