"Welcome to LA, see Shohei Ohtani for directions to casino" - Fans predict Munetaka Murakami to follow in Japanese teammates' footsteps

The LA Dodgers' contingent of Japanese stars, which currently includes Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, may be about to get bigger this offseason.

As is the case with most promising talent coming out of Japan, NPB superstar Munetaka Murakami has been heavily linked with a move to Dodger Stadium this winter.

Insider Jeff Passan took to X on Friday, to announce the third baseman's 45-day negotiating window with MLB franchises had officially begun.

"BREAKING: Japanese star third baseman Munetaka Murakami will be posted today, officially starting the process of one of the most anticipated free agencies of the winter, sources tell ESPN. Murakami's 45-day negotiating window to come to a deal with an MLB team starts tomorrow." Passan posted

Reacting to the news, several fans appeared to be of the opinion that Murakami following in Shohei Ohtani's footsteps and heading to LA was already a foregone conclusion.

"welcome to LA, see Shohei for directions to the casino" a fan wrote "Do they have to do that whole song and dance or can he just go straight to the Dodgers where he’s going?" another fan commented "Why the formalities? Just sign him to the Dodgers and be done with it." another fan replied "Why do we even have a process, we already know the Dodgers get everyone" another fan responded "Just announce him to the dodgers already. 12yrs/365m with 355m in deferred money until 2163" another fan shared "BREAKING: The 45 day window of teams making pleas to Murakami to play for them before he just ends up taking a deal with the Dodgers with deferred payment up till 2172 begins tomorrow" another fan posted

---

Shohei Ohtani and Munetaka Murakami enjoyed success together while playing for Japan in the 2023 WBC

Seeing Munetaka Murakami take the field in Dodger blue in 2026 might not be too much of a surprise. This won't be the first time the young infielder will be sharing the clubhoue with the likes of Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki.

All four players were also on the same roster back in 2023, while playing for team Japan at the 2023 WBC. They eventually went on to enjoy plenty of success together, beating team USA in the final to win gold.

World Baseball Classic Championship: United States v Japan - Source: Getty

Munetaka Murakami hit an important home run in the big game, while Shohei Ohtani pitched the final inning, which included that iconic matchup against slugger Mike Trout, to secure the win for his team.

Edited by Raghav Mehta