Red Sox 'would love' to trade $90 million slugger after lackluster 2025 season

Contributor
Matt Sullivan
Red Sox 'would love' to trade $90 million slugger after lackluster 2025 season image

The Boston Red Sox have been busy this offseason, trading for a trio of players to improve the starting rotation and their first base spot.

After losing Alex Bregman to the Chicago Cubs, they signed Ranger Suarez and made their MLB-ready rotation a 10-man deep group. They need to explore infield upgrades, and could trade from their non-infield options to land such a player.

According to Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic, the Red Sox have one player, 32-year-old designated hitter Masataka Yoshida, who's in the middle of a $90 million deal, who they would "love" to trade away.

Red Sox would 'love' to trade $90M DH away this winter

"The Red Sox would love to find a trade partner for Yoshida (and offload his contract)," McCaffrey writes, "but they're likely to get more of an impact bat in trading Duran, Wilyer Abreu, or Ceddane Rafaela along with Tolle or Early."

The Boston front office is hoping to move on from its current roster, especially with its outfield and designated hitter logjam.

Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Ceddane Rafaela, and Yoshida would all make sense as trade chips, and of these four, Craig Breslow and the Red Sox, unsurprisingly, want to trade away Yoshida.

More: Red Sox get big trade update on Brendan Donovan amid updated rumors

The Japanese DH hasn't lived up to his $90 million contract. In 55 games this past season, he hit.266 with a.696 OPS, the worst mark of his Major League career.

The two years prior, Yoshida had a.765 and.783 OPS, respectively. While not terrible numbers, even those seasons weren't enough to justify the $90 million price tag.

And now, with his struggles in 2025, there's not much hope that the Red Sox will find a team willing to take on his contract. If they're aiming to land a new infielder, Duran or another outfielder is a better trade asset for the Red Sox.

The Red Sox would love to trade away Yoshida and the last few years of his $90 million deal. Signed through 2027, Yoshida has two more years on his deal, and Boston wants out.

More MLB news: