The Boston Red Sox allegedly had their eyes on a few sluggers to shore up their lineup this coming season — Pete Alonso, Kyle Schwarber and Eugenio Suárez come to mind (although they never made offers to the latter two).
Schwarber is a full-time designated hitter, Suárez should be one given his age and defensive output, and Alonso is sure to be one in a few years. This makes their fit with the Red Sox complicated, as Willson Contreras will split his time between DH and first base. Masataka Yoshida also still needs a spot, and if Boston reaches Opening Day without trading an outfielder, he seems destined for reps at DH.
But the Red Sox like to keep their DH spot open and flexible for opponent-based decisions. They don't want to play Yoshida everyday so Contreras and maybe Triston Casas can appear in the DH spot, and Yoshida has been streaky during his time in the majors. Coupled with his rough defense and minimal speed, he's been exceedingly difficult to trade.
If Boston really wants to trade Yoshida, its Jordan Hicks trade with the Chicago White Sox showed exactly how to go about it. It won't be easy or comfortable to offload another player in this way, but the Red Sox may think it worth the effort to move a questionable fit in their lineup.
Much like Jordan Hicks, the Red Sox could offload Masataka Yoshida in a salary dump
The Red Sox salary dumped Hicks alongside their former No. 8 prospect, righty pitcher David Sandlin, to the White Sox for former New York Yankees prospect Gage Ziehl. Boston also sent $8 million to Chicago to cover some of Hicks' $24 million salary over the next two seasons.
It will take a top prospect, or maybe even another big leaguer, to get any club to take Yoshida off the Red Sox's hands. Boston has reportedly tried to salary dump Yoshida to the Seattle Mariners before with no success, but he has significantly fewer years on his contract now.
Yoshida is owed $36 million for the final two years of his contract, which is no small change for a likely full-time DH for many clubs. The Red Sox might have to double the amount of money they paid the White Sox to take Hicks to offload Yoshida, and it might take a prospect of Mikey Romero or Justin Gonzales's caliber to finish it off.
Salary dumps aren't easy, but the Red Sox have pulled off quite a few in recent years. A Yoshida trade wouldn't be a pure salary dump at this point, since his fit on Boston's roster is strained, at best, but other clubs won't see it that way, nor will they be eager to help the Red Sox reverse their bad decisions.
Yoshida is still a good player with high-average potential and a keen eye at the plate. He may need a change of scenery to thrive, and after the Hicks trade, the Red Sox showed they're not afraid to consider that option.