Is now the time for White Sox to sign Murakami to a contract extension?

episode

Rahimi & Grote Show 8 min 2 speakers 4 chapters transcribed 2 months ago

▲ 0

Transcript

jump: chapters · speakers · find in transcript

Transcript

Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

What is the main topic discussed in this episode?

Marshall Harris 0:01

Rahimi Harrison-Grody. That sounds so crazy. 104.3, the score. Wow, I like that. Middays 10 to 2 on 104.3, the score.

Vinny Rotino 0:14

This is Rahimi Harrison-Grote on 104.3 The Score. And we are enjoying a very Chicago-filled all-star. Whether it was on the National League with Pico Armstrong, the American League with Munataka Murakami, Tristan Peters, and Miguel Vargas. There's a lot to discuss when it comes to the presence of the city in the Midsummer Classic. And... Mune was in the home run derby. We know he didn't do well. We know that he had won at bat in the All-Star game.

Marshall Harris 0:46

I think the home run derby went a lot better than the bat in the All-Star game.

Vinny Rotino 0:49

Fair enough. But at least he was in both. But that's not really what's necessarily important in all of this. What is, is the All-Star game is a time where players are available to talk about stuff you can't really always talk to them about during the season.

How did Munetaka Murakami’s All-Star appearances spark contract talk?

Vinny Rotino 1:04

People are focused on the game. They're focused on what they need to do for a plan for the next day. It's very much a day-to-day type of discussion, as you all know. So, James Spiegel of Sox Machine... Got to talk to him about more than just that. This is a good time to reflect on what you did to earn the nod to get to the All-Star festivities. And then it's also something where, of course, you might be thinking about your future. So here's what he said through his interpreter, Kenzo Yagi, about his future with the team.

Marshall Harris 1:34

What do you think right now of the decision you made to go to the White House? It was the best decision I've ever made, so we're a winning squad, so we're just going to keep continuing. Is it a place you want to stay long term at this point? Yes, very much. Look, he answered that question with a quickness. There was no pondering. There was no mincing of words. Got the translation, heard what he heard, said what he said. And I love that the White Sox seemingly, Layla, have built the type of culture in which a player who you could argue was undervalued when he signed with a major league team is all in on the team that he signed with because the White Sox have been so good with and without him this season.

Vinny Rotino 2:19

Right now the question may be how much is loyalty worth? Because that is the only way I see the White Sox making up the inevitable gap that the Dodgers may have to show for.

Marshall Harris 2:33

Munataka Murakami would have to be their first $100 million player in my mind for them to get this done.

Vinny Rotino 2:41

Yeah, it's more than that. What are the Dodgers going to throw at him? If he keeps this up, keep in mind he missed 35 games with his hamstring injury. So say he's healthy for the rest of the season. What do his numbers look like? And then his contract is up in 2027. Then he's got another year in the league?

Marshall Harris 3:00

Am I the only one not worried about the Dodgers because they have both a first baseman and a designated hitter?

Vinny Rotino 3:06

The Dodgers want to take over everything.

Marshall Harris 3:08

I get that, but I'm saying... Logistically, the Dodgers don't make sense to me as the landing spot for Munotaka Murakami. Because Freddie Freeman is a Hall of Fame first baseman. Still playing, by the way, at a Hall of Fame level. Yeah, started in the game yesterday. In his prime. And then Shohei Otani is... Shohei Ohtani. So given those two factors, I just don't think that the market there will be there. Now, somebody will pay him. No doubt about that. But I think the White Sox, if there was ever a time they were going to pony up, this is the time that they pony up. And while we're at it, there's some guys that I'm looking at. Get them under contract now. Buy out some of those free agent years.

Vinny Rotino 3:47

Yeah, you'd better buy out the ARB years or extend them. And that's the best practice we've seen the White Sox commit to. When it comes to this, the only way they were going to get Munetaka Murakami is if they were the ones who took the risk, and they did. So how much does that matter to them, and how much does the loyalty matter to Mune? Because I think this is as much a combination of the intangibles, as long as I think... Jerry Reinsdorf is still owning the team.