Waving flag with Boston Red Sox professional team logo. Editorial 3D
This off season, the Red Sox are open to any idea as they seek to build a better roster. According to reports by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Jen McCaffrey, Boston is open to trading Mastaka Yoshida as it continues to pursue free agent Teoscar Hernández.
Reported on Friday, according to Rosenthal and McCaffrey
“Several teams have inquired about Yoshida, and while the Red Sox do not appear to be actively shopping him, they are open to virtually any idea as they seek to build a better roster.”
In his first season with Boston, Yoshida had an incredible run he smashed .289/.338/.445 with 15 homers and 72 RBIs in 140 games. In the second half of the season, however, a downward in the score as he hit .254 with a .663 OPS in his final 62 games.
Yoshida, who turns 31 in July, signed a five-year, $90 million contract with the Red Sox last off season. Before, he played with Nippon Professional Baseball’s Orix Buffaloes from 2016-2022, earning All-Star honors on four different occasions.
He also won the Japan Series in 2022 with the Buffaloes, and also won the Pacific League batting title in 2020 and 2021.
Yoshida has four years and $72 million remaining on his five-year, $90 million deal he signed last off season if he is dealt it to help clear $18.6 million in salary for the 2024 season
The Athletic and MLB Trade Rumors both projected that Hernández who is pursued by the Red Sox would receive a four-year, $80 million deal earlier this off season.
The Athletic also reported the Red Sox are looking “to tackle other areas of the roster and reduce payroll before committing to the free agent.”
As it sounds, if the Red Sox are going to make a trade involving Yoshida, it would be financially motivated.
