The Boston Red Sox have known for a while that they have more talented hitters than their roster can handle.
Take last night’s game as a brief example. Two 25-year-old studs, first baseman Triston Casas and right fielder Wilyer Abreu, were both on the bench against a left-handed pitcher, because Rob Refsnyder and Romy González, who both mash lefties, needed to get some at-bats.
The roster crunch has already been tricky to navigate, due to the arrival of top prospect Kristian Campbell and Rafael Devers’ full-time move to designated hitter. But what happens when the other two top prospects, outfielder Roman Anthony and shortstop Marcelo Mayer, arrive someday soon?
There’s one name that doesn’t seem to fit neatly into the equation. Masataka Yoshida, who the Red Sox paid $90 million to acquire just two years ago, can no longer get DH at-bats with Devers there. He’s on the injured list even though he was healthy enough to hit during spring training, and with his slow foot speed, it’s hard to see how he fits into a crowded outfield mix.
On Monday’s episode of Fair Territory, MLB insider Ken Rosenthal questioned whether Yoshida had a spot on the team moving forward and suggested that the team’s only recourse could be to designate him for assignment if they cannot find a trade partner for him.
“You left Yoshida out of the equation,” Rosenthal said. “I don’t see how he fits now that Devers is the DH. Now, once Anthony is ready, it really becomes an interesting question.”
“They’re using Kristian Campbell in center field on certain days when they want to get David Hamilton into the lineup as a left-handed hitting second baseman… This is not a problem… These things have a way of working out on their own. But the real issue to me is going to be Yoshida, and will he be ultimately a guy that they might have to DFA?”
DFAing Yoshida would be tricky on a number of levels. For one, the Japanese star’s bat-to-ball skills and infectious smile have made him a fan-favorite in Boston, even if he hasn’t lived up to the expectations of his contract.
Plus, the Red Sox will surely want to sign big-name Japanese free agents again, and their treatment of Yoshida could be seen as a negative when future stars are making their decisions. And, most importantly, $18.6 million per year for three years is a major sunk cost.
If it’s in the best interest of the club, though, these are the tough, sometimes unpopular choices Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow gets paid to make.