Masataka Yoshida has something of a cult following within the Boston Red Sox fandom. He's had his struggles at the plate since he arrived in MLB in 2023, but when he's healthy, he has the potential to be one of the most consistent bats in Boston's lineup — a fact many optimistic Sox fans cling to each year.
The reality of his tenure with the Red Sox has been slow starts, injuries and inconsistency, overall — hardly worth the five-year, $90 million contract they gave him. Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic agrees, and they've named Yoshida as an honorable mention on their list of the 10 worst contracts in MLB (subscription required). Alongside him in the honorable mention category are some familiar names to Red Sox fans, including Xander Bogaerts, Andrew Benintendi and Eduardo Rodriguez.
Yoshida has played in just 303 games since 2023, and he's slashed .282/.337/.425 with a .762 OPS in that time. He's not a burner on the base paths and his defense isn't as sound as any of Boston's other outfield options, and his on-base numbers from his time in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) don't match up with his results in MLB — he posted a career on-base percentage of .421 over seven seasons with the Orix Buffaloes.
Not only is more money than necessary tied up in Yoshida's deal, his lack of defensive versatility makes his place in the Red Sox's lineup confusing. Yoshida doesn't belong in the outfield alongside Gold Glovers Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu while Roman Anthony's defense is so solid, but using him as the full-time designated hitter, as his pay dictates he should be, is severely limiting to Boston's lineup and free agent pursuits.
The Athletic names Masataka Yoshida as honorable mention for worst contract in MLB, reminds Red Sox of what could've been
The Red Sox have been linked to both Pete Alonso and Kyle Schwarber to add pop to their lineup this offseason. Schwarber has never had better success in his career since he became a full-time DH and Alonso is sure to become a full-time DH sooner rather than later. If the Red Sox sign Alonso and retain Triston Casas, only one of the two will start at first base each game.
Boston's most dire offensive need is home run power, and Yoshida hasn't provided that with any degree of consistency. Alonso, Casas (who's also struggled with consistency) or Schwarber would be better suited to the DH role than Yoshida.
Unfortunately, Yoshida's presence on the 'worst contracts' list means his deal will most likely be impossible to trade. Boston couldn't open the DH spot by offloading Yoshida to another team unless it takes an unfavorable deal or eats a large chunk of his contract. The Red Sox have tried to trade him in the past with no success.
Yoshida still has potential to be a key member of the Red Sox's offense if he can stay healthy. His fit with the team is questionable and it will be interesting to see where Alex Cora fits him into the lineup in 2026, but fans can't help but wonder who the Red Sox would be willing to sign with Yoshida's contract off the books and the DH position open.