It’s difficult for the Boston Red Sox to locate a trade partner for Masataka Yoshida, an outfielder.
Masataka Yoshida of the Boston Red Sox was unexpectedly involved in trade talks this winter, despite only being in his first season of a five-year, $90 million contract that brought him to the United States after seven years in Japan.
Rumors about Yoshida started to circulate at the beginning of January. The Athletic’s Jen McCarthy and Ken Rosenthal said that Boston was “open to ways to restructure the outfield,” rather than actively shopping the left-handed bat. This offseason, the Red Sox outfield has already seen some changes: Alex Verdugo was sent to the Bronx, and a few days later, former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Tyler O’Neill was acquired.
According to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe, Yoshida’s deal is currently a significant turnoff for any team considering signing him.
Yoshida’s contract will keep him in the league through the end of his 33rd season for an additional four years and $72 million. Last season, it became clear that he lacked defensive aptitude, and manager Alex Cora was eventually forced to use him almost solely as a designated hitter. Yoshida’s lack of versatility in the lineup for his new squad must surely be lowering his trade worth.
Anyhow, trading Yoshida would be a bad look for Boston’s front office. The Red Sox either made a huge mistake by selecting a man without any Major League experience and ended up with him as their third-best player, or they decided to take another salary cut following the front office’s unmet pledge to spend big this offseason.
Yoshida suffered mightily in the second half of the season after a great first season in which his contract was not like as good as that of Rusney Castillo.
While he continued to adjust to MLB pitching, it would have been natural to assume that his output would increase after the All-Star break. However, the exact reverse happened. Yoshida only managed three home runs and 19 RBI in his final 47 games after August.
Based on how the Boston front office has operated as of late, the ideal return for Yoshida would likely be young, high-upside, controllable contract talent. That philosophical approach was apparent in both the Alex Verdugo and Chris Sale trades.
It takes two to dance though, and without a partner willing to take on Yoshida’s contract, it looks we will see him in the Opening Day lineup on March 28 in Seattle.
