The Red Sox are staring at an offseason problem that has been hanging around for a while, and Masataka Yoshida sits right in the middle of it.
Boston needs a power bat, and that need is obvious. The trouble is fitting one into a lineup that already has too many bodies in the outfield and not enough room to maneuver. With Roman Anthony expected to be healthy for a full season in 2027, the squeeze only figures to get tighter.
That leaves the Red Sox with a familiar offseason task: move someone out. Jarren Duran and Yoshida are the most obvious candidates, but the two situations are not the same. Duran’s trade value has dropped, while Yoshida has long been a difficult sell because his contract is steep compared with what he brings at the plate.
Alex Speier of The Boston Globe said it feels "likelier than not" that Yoshida is not with the Red Sox for the final year of his contract.
Boston has already tried to find a trade partner for Yoshida and came up empty before. This time, the final year left on his deal could make him a little easier to move, and his contract may look less daunting next to this year’s weak free-agent class. Even so, the Red Sox may still have to make a harder decision if no one bites.
If the roster stays crowded and a trade never materializes, the club may have to designate Yoshida for assignment.
That would be a costly move, but it would also reflect the reality of where Boston is. Yoshida can hit, and he’s been steady when healthy.
What he isn’t is a power bat, and that’s exactly what the Red Sox are chasing. The fit gets even tougher when you factor in that the other outfield defenders on the roster bring more speed and range.
Health has been part of the issue too. Yoshida has never played more than 140 games in an MLB season, and over the last two years he’s appeared in fewer than 88 games. Across four major league seasons, he’s averaged just under 98 games a year, and his $18 million salary is hard to square with that kind of availability.
Boston should keep trying to trade him, because getting something back - even cash or prospects - is better than losing him for nothing, especially if he goes somewhere else and produces. But if the Red Sox find a real upgrade, they also can’t be afraid to DFA him and eat the salary. That’s the price of making the lineup better.
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