A Japanese home run king officially entered the posting system Friday, opening up a 45-day negotiating window for MLB teams to court him. Munetaka Murakami, a 25-year-old slugger who plays both first and third base, is expected to headline a deep class of Asian talent looking to come to North America this winter.

Could he be a fit for the Mets? Well, yes, but also no. Maybe.

A left-handed power hitter, Murakami set the single-season home run record for a Japanese player in Nippon Professional Baseball when he hit 56 for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in 2022. It broke Sadaharu Oh’s record of 55, which was set in 1964. Over eight seasons in Japan, Murakami has crushed 246 homers, hitting .270 with a .951 OPS.

In August, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns took a trip to Japan to scout him. However, before you go trying to connect any dots, Stearns is not the only MLB executive that went overseas to see his power in person. Though the power is an obvious draw, a Mets pursuit would probably mean that Pete Alonso’s days in Queens are done.

Alonso is a free agent for the second year in a row after opting out of the final year of his contract last week. While he has been vocal about his desire to return to the team that drafted him out of the University of Florida in 2016, he made a pretty good case for a long-term contract and a big pay day with his 2025 production.

The 30-year-old Alonso hit .272 with an .871 OPS, 38 home runs and a league-leading 41 doubles. The first baseman played in all 162 games for the second year in a row, was named an All-Star for the fourth straight season and for the fifth time in his career, and became the Mets’ all-time home run leader in August when he broke Darryl Strawberry’s record of 252. The Polar Bear stands alone at the top with 264.

This came after two down seasons for Alonso, showing that he’s got plenty left in the tank in his 30s. The 2019 Rookie of the Year faced questions about regression after 2023 and 2024, though he assuaged some of those concerns with a monster postseason last fall. A fan favorite, he values the community like few others who have come through Flushing.

But Stearns has never been Alonso’s biggest fan. Last winter, it was owner Steve Cohen who made the decisive call to bring Alonso back on a bridge deal. Cohen also has a strong relationship with Alonso’s agent, Scott Boras. The super agent also represents Juan Soto, Brandon Nimmo and Sean Manaea.

The two players have plenty of differences, but they essentially play the same role as a power bat either high up or toward the middle of the order. Both would offer protection behind Soto, but they both strike out a lot as well. Neither one provides Gold Glove-worthy defense.

The tend to strike out at high rates. Prolific power hitters tend to strike out at high clips, so the line of thinking is generally, you can live with them as long as you get the power production. However, you don’t want too many high-strikeout hitters in one lineup. Alonso cut down on his chase rates in 2024, though they went back up a bit in 2025. Murakami, on the other hand, swings and misses on pitches in the zone and out of it.

Murakami would be a great candidate for the Mets if they lose out on Alonso, but the timing complicates the matter. His negotiation window opens Saturday at 8 a.m. ET, and will expire at 5 p.m. on Dec. 22. That leaves only a short window for the Mets to figure out whether they can retain Alonso as well. It’s also not clear whether or not Murakami would want to play first base full time. If the Mets do sign Murakami, they could move Mark Vientos to first base and use Murakami at third or as a DH, but they might have to trade away either Brett Baty or Ronny Mauricio to ensure that everyone has playing time.

Run prevention and fundamental defense will be priorities for the Mets next season. Murakami might only complicate an already-complicated third base situation.

Still, he’s an enticing player for a team who had a wildly inconsistent offense last season. Plus, we know money isn’t a concern with Cohen, and Murakami won’t come cheap. Signing players through posting requires teams to pay a fee to the Asian teams they transferred from. The fees start at 20% for the first $25 million, 17.5% for the next $25 million and an additional 15% on every dollar above $50 million.

Murakami could receive a nine-figure contract with a posting fee of at least $16.9 million.

Alonso is reportedly seeking a seven-year contract. Last year, he sought a multi-year pact for $150 million. He didn’t get it, and it’s unclear if a team is willing to pay that much for a right-handed first baseman who will be 31 next season.

The answer is complicated. The Mets can make Murakami fit, and they can also make Alonso fit. But it’s unlikely they end up with both.