Cora: Devers Will Be Red Sox’ Primary Designated Hitter
Red Sox manager Alex Cora confirmed today in an appearance on WEEI radio what has looked increasingly likely as spring training has progressed: Rafael Devers will serve as the Red Sox’ primary designated hitter in 2025, while newly signed Alex Bregman will take over at the hot corner (link via WEEI’s Ken Laird). “Alex is going to play third,” said Cora. “Raffy’s going to DH. We all are in the winning business. He understands that.”
It’s not a shock given recent developments but still notable to get a firm declaration on what will be a surprising pivot for the club. Devers has been Boston’s third baseman for a long time and seemed likely to stay there well into the future. The club signed him to a massive extension ahead of the 2023 season, locking him up through 2033. His defense was never well regarded but it seemed that he would get a chance to stick at the hot corner for a while based on his status within the organization.
Even once Bregman was signed, it seemed possible that Devers would stay at third. Bregman’s reps had maintained throughout the winter that he was willing to move to second base as a way to keep his market as open as possible. The Sox came into 2025 with some notable middle infield prospects but didn’t have a clear everyday guy at second in 2024.
But as alluded to, the plans became more clear as time went on. Bregman was only playing third base in camp. Devers wasn’t playing many official spring games and was only serving as the DH when he was in there. It was suggested that perhaps this was due to some shoulder problems he dealt with last year but it has become abundantly clear that the club just wants him to DH this year. Prospect Kristian Campbell will crack the Opening Day roster and seemingly be the regular second baseman.
The move makes sense from a competitive standpoint. Devers has been credited with -62 Defensive Runs Saved and -29 Outs Above Average in his career. Bregman’s tallies in those categories are +27 DRS and +22 OAA.
That’s an obvious choice in a vacuum but it’s unclear if there will be intangible effects in terms of clubhouse morale. Devers was initially adamant that he wouldn’t be moving off third, saying that he was promised that he could be there for the long haul. That promise was made while Chaim Bloom was still the chief baseball officer but he was later replaced by Craig Breslow. The new regime seems uninterested in honoring the promise of the previous one.
There are other questions left to be answered as well. Bregman’s three-year deal comes with opt-outs after each season. If he departs after 2025, will Devers get a chance to retake the spot next year? What if Bregman suffers a significant injury during the 2025 season?
Then there’s also the Masataka Yoshida factor. He made his major league debut in 2023 with a solid .289/.338/.445 line and 110 wRC+, but with bad defensive metrics in the outfield. Last year, he logged just a single inning in the field, limited to DH duty. His offense was similar to the year before, with a .280/.349/.415 line and 115 wRC+, but he apparently wasn’t thrilled with the arrangement.
He required shoulder surgery in October and is going to start the season on the injured list. He was healthy enough to hit during the spring but still needs to fully ramp up his throwing abilities in the wake of that surgery. With Devers in the DH spot, he will have to jog out onto the grass into order to get into the lineup. The Sox project to have Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu in three outfield spots, with Rob Refsnyder on the bench. Prospect Roman Anthony will also be pushing for a major league debut soon.
If everyone’s healthy, it will be tough for Yoshida to work his way in there. He still has three years and $54MM left on his deal. Given his modest production thus far, no other club will want to take all of that on. Rebuilding trade value will be tough if he can’t get in there fore regular playing time. Moving to first base isn’t an option for Devers or Yoshida with Triston Casas in that spot and under club control through 2028.
It’s a complicated puzzle and one that will probably continue to be talked about throughout the year. Cora’s declaration today gives confirmation to what was already obvious. The unanswered questions remain.
Red Sox Release Adam Ottavino
The Red Sox announced this morning that they’ve released right-hander Adam Ottavino. The veteran triggered an opt-out clause in his contract prompting the release, as noted by MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. Meanwhile, Cotillo reports that veteran southpaw Matt Moore does not plan to exercise the opt-out clause in his contract and will remain with the organization at Triple-A Worcester. In other roster news, Alex Cora told reporters (including MLB.com’s Ian Browne) yesterday that Masataka Yoshida will begin the season on the injured list as he builds up his throwing program.
Ottavino, 39, is a veteran of 14 MLB seasons who previously pitched for the Red Sox back in 2021. He provided the Red Sox with decent middle relief work that year, pitching to a 4.21 ERA with a 3.96 FIP in 62 innings of work. He’s spent three seasons since then in Queens with the Mets, and that three-year stint generally went quite well for both sides as he posted a 3.14 ERA and 3.66 FIP in 183 1/3 frames, picking up 16 saves and striking out 27.6% of opponents along the way. Unfortunately, Ottavino’s results declined with the club as time went on, and his work with the Mets last year was rather pedestrian.
In 56 innings of work last year, Ottavino managed an ERA of just 4.34, 9% worse than league average by ERA+. His peripheral numbers remained solid, as he posted a 3.67 FIP and struck out 28.6% of his opponents, but that still wasn’t enough for any of the league’s 30 clubs to overlook his age and lackluster production last year to offer him a major league deal. That led him to settle for a minor league pact with the Red Sox back in February. Camp hasn’t gone especially well for Ottavino, however, as he’s allowed six runs in just five innings and surrendered free passes to five of the 25 batters he’s faced. Those struggles were enough to keep him out of the Red Sox Opening Day bullpen, and now Ottavino will have the opportunity to survey the open market for a more direct path to playing in the majors for his 15th season.
As for Moore, the southpaw enjoyed back-to-back dominant relief seasons in 2022 and ’23 but the wheels came off for the 35-year-old in 2024. In 48 1/3 innings of work with the Angels last year, Moore posted a lackluster 5.03 ERA with an even uglier 6.17 FIP as he allowed 11 homers in just 51 appearances and walked 12.4% of opponents as his strikeout rate fell below 20%. It was a brutal performance all around, but the tantalizing upside the veteran showed when he posted a 2.20 ERA and 3.29 FIP in 126 2/3 innings of work in the two years prior was enough to earn Moore a minor league pact with the Red Sox this winter. He’s pitched reasonably well in Spring Training with three scoreless innings, but has gotten only those three innings of work in this spring and will head to Triple-A to build up in hopes of cracking the big league roster later in the year. As an Article XX(B) free agent, Moore will have additional opportunities to opt out on both May 1 and June 1 if not added to the club’s roster by those dates.
As for Yoshida, the veteran came into camp this spring battling for his roster spot despite there being three years remaining on his five-year, $90MM contract with the club. Yoshida battled thumb and shoulder issues last year and ultimately ended up undergoing labrum surgery back in October, which Yoshida is still recovering from. While Yoshida is well enough to hit at this point, Rafael Devers now figures to serve as the club’s incumbent DH with Alex Bregman taking over at the hot corner, meaning Yoshida won’t be able to play for the Red Sox until he’s healthy enough to play left field. That’s led to the club’s plan to start him on the injured list this year and send him to Triple-A Worcester on a rehab assignment, where he’ll be able to build up his arm strength over the course of a 20-day rehab assignment. Given that plan, it seems as though Yoshida should be expected back with the Red Sox in Boston at some point in late April, barring any setbacks.
Rafael Devers Discusses Role With Red Sox
Ever since the Red Sox signed Alex Bregman, there’s been an unanswered question about how he’ll fit onto the roster. The club already had Rafael Devers at third base and he seemed disinterested in moving anywhere else when discussing the matter last month. Devers spoke with the media again today with a slightly different tone, as relayed by reporters including Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic and Sean McAdam of MassLive.
Devers revealed that he has shared some thoughts with chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and manager Álex Cora, but didn’t go into detail about what he said in those conversations. “We spoke already, and I’m good to do whatever they want me to do,” said Devers through translator Daveson Perez. “I’m here to help. I’ve already spoken with them about that, and they know where I stand. I’m just ready to play.”
He was also asked how he would feel if he were the designated hitter on Opening Day, with Bregman at third. “Good,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s not my decision. I don’t call the shots around here. So I feel good. I’ll go out there and do what I need to do.”
There are a few elements making the situation awkward. Bregman is clearly the better defender, for one. For his career, Devers has tallies of -62 Defensive Runs Saved and -29 Outs Above Average at the hot corner. Bregman has +27 DRS and +22 OAA. Devers also battled soreness in both shoulders last year and spent most of the winter trying to build strength in those shoulders. He has been a bit behind schedule in terms of game action. He still hasn’t appeared in any official spring contests, just live batting practice and intrasquad games.
Devers tried to downplay the issue with his shoulders today. “I really don’t know why there’s been such a big deal made about my shoulders,” Devers said. “Since the first day here at camp, I’ve been saying that my shoulders are good, and that they’re good right now. So I don’t know why it’s been put out there, the rumors of my shoulders being bad, but they’re good right now.”
Though there are on-paper reasons to put Bregman at third, Devers has understandably been less than thrilled by the changes. Last month, he said that he was promised he could be a long-term third baseman when he signed his ten-year extension in January of 2023. But it was implied by Cora that the third base promise was made by previous CBO Chaim Bloom, who was later fired and now works for the Cardinals.
It had been speculated that the Sox could move Bregman to second base, where he has some limited experience, while having Devers at third. But Bregman has only been at the hot corner during spring, so moving him to the keystone doesn’t seem to be in the short-term plans. Perhaps that suggests Devers will be a primary designated hitter this year, though no firm declarations to that effect have been publicly made by any team personnel.
If Devers is the DH on something like an everyday basis, that would mean Masataka Yoshida would have to be in the outfield mix. It’s possible that Yoshida could start the season on the IL due to his own shoulder injury, though he may have to try to crack the outfield mix whenever he’s healthy.
As of now, Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu project as the regular outfielders, though Abreu will start the season on the IL as he recovers from a gastrointestinal virus. Rob Refsnyder might get more playing time in the short term, or perhaps non-roster invitee Trayce Thompson. As the season goes along, prospects Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell might factor in, though Campbell could also take the second base job if Bregman isn’t in it. Guys like David Hamilton, Romy González, Nick Sogard or Vaughn Grissom could hold the keystone for the time being.
There are still many moving pieces and the arrangement on Opening Day might be very different from the way the club lines up throughout the year, depending on health and performance. But it will be a situation worth watching, both this year and down the road. Bregman can opt out of his contract after each year, so he might not be in Boston in 2026. However, Devers’ poor defense has often led to speculation about him moving to first base or DH at some point. If the Sox decide to move him off now, they may not want to move him back next year even if Bregman is gone.
For now, Devers has made his position clear to the club’s decision makers but has also accepted that the situation is out of his control. “I just want to help the team win,” he said today. “At the end of the day, whatever position I’m playing, I always take these things as a competition and as a way to get better. That’s how I see it, I’m ready to help the team win.”
Wilyer Abreu May Not Be Ready For Opening Day
Red Sox right fielder Wilyer Abreu has yet to appear in a spring game or even begin full baseball activities due to a bout with a gastrointestinal virus. Exact details on the illness are a bit murky. MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith wrote on Feb. 28 that Abreu looked noticeably thinner in camp. Abreu acknowledged to Smith that the virus has indeed caused him to lose “a little bit of weight” but suggested he thinks that could actually prove beneficial, as he feels more “in form” than he was last year.
While Abreu has taken an optimistic tone about his chances of being ready for Opening Day, The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey cast some doubt on that possibility this morning, reporting that Abreu has only been tracking pitches thus far and yet to even swing a bat. Manager Alex Cora suggested that Abreu is a ways behind schedule. There’s no definitive declaration that Abreu won’t be in the lineup versus the Rangers on March 27, but that first game is only 20 days out.
Abreu, 25, came to the Red Sox in the 2022 deadline deal that sent catcher Christian Vazquez to Houston. He made his MLB debut in 2023 and broke out with a terrific rookie showing in 2024, his first full season in the majors. Last year saw Abreu produce a solid .253/.322/.459 batting line with 15 homers, 33 doubles, a pair of triples and an 8-for-11 performance in stolen bases over the life of 132 games/447 plate appearances. He floundered in 67 plate appearances versus lefties but thrived against right-handed pitching and, above all else, proved himself one of the best defensive players in baseball — regardless of position.
By measure of Statcast, Abreu was nine runs better than average in right field. Sports Info Solutions’ Defensive Runs Saved metric pegged him at a massive +17. Both outstanding marks came in less than a full season’s worth of innings at the position (921). No right fielder in MLB provided more total value, per Statcast or DRS. (Sal Frelick, Jackson Chourio and Jonny DeLuca were better on a rate basis but in smaller samples of innings.)
Unsurprisingly, Abreu won the first of what will likely be multiple Gold Glove Awards in his career. He also finished sixth in AL Rookie of the Year voting and firmly entrenched himself in Boston’s outfield moving forward. It’s a crowded mix with everyone healthy, though if Abreu’s not ready for the season opener, that could lend some short-term clarity to what’s right now something of a logjam.
With a normal spring for Abreu, the expectation would’ve been for him to slot into right field, with 2024 breakout MVP candidate Jarren Duran in left and fellow defensive standout Ceddanne Rafaela in center. The Red Sox, of course, have two of the most electric and also near-MLB-ready prospects in the sport: Kristian Campbell and Roman Anthony. Many outlets regard the latter as the top position-playing prospect in the game. Campbell has played more second base than outfield and is also in the mix at that position, though Boston’s signing of Alex Bregman could push Campbell into more of an outfield role — depending where he ultimately lines up on the diamond.
Even if Abreu isn’t ready for Opening Day, it’s not necessarily a lock that Campbell or Anthony would get the call in the outfield. For starters, neither is on the 40-man roster yet. Carrying either would require a corresponding 40-man move. More importantly, if Abreu is facing a short-term absence, the Sox may not want to bring up such a touted prospect for what amounts to a small handful of games. The 20-year-old Anthony only has 35 Triple-A games under his belt, after all, while the 22-year-old Campbell has just 19. Utilityman Rob Refsnyder and designated hitter Masataka Yoshida could certainly step into the outfield to help fill any short-term absences. Refsnyder would likely see plenty of outfield work as a platoon partner for Abreu anyhow.
Red Sox Undecided On Infield Alignment Following Alex Bregman Deal
The Red Sox officially inked star infielder Alex Bregman to a three-year deal earlier today, and the assumption to this point has been that Bregman would slide into the club’s vacancy at second base. While Bregman played third base throughout his time in Houston and won a Gold Glove award for his work at the position last year, he made clear at the outset of the offseason that he was willing to slide over to the keystone if his new team so desired. Incumbent star Rafael Devers is entrenched at third base in Boston and has made his preference to remain at the position plain over the years, so Devers at third and Bregman at second seemed like the cleanest way for the club to sort out its positional conundrum. It may not wind up being that simple, however. As relayed by Chris Cotillo of MassLive, Red Sox manager Alex Cora was noncommittal about the club’s infield plans.
“We’ll talk about that later on,” Cora said when asked where Bregman will play, as relayed by Cotillo. “Right now, there’s a lot of stuff going on as far as we’re going to be roster-wise. We’ll make the decision when we have to make it… He’s a Gold Glove third baseman. He hasn’t played second base in the big leagues. I do believe he can be a Gold Glove second baseman, too. There’s other stuff that comes into play as far as roster construction and what’s better for the team and what can be the best lineup.”
Cotillo reports that Cora’s hesitance to name a defined position for Bregman reflects real uncertainty within the organization about how the club’s lineup with shake out from a positional standpoint. According to Cotillo, the club is making an effort to keep a path open for top infield prospect Kristian Campbell to break camp with the team on Opening Day. Campbell has experience at shortstop and in the outfield but has long seemed best suited for second base with the Red Sox. Cotillo suggests that Bregman could see time at both second and third base if Campbell makes the club’s roster, while Campbell himself could see time in left field in addition to his work at the keystone with Jarren Duran moving over to center. Devers, presumably, would slide over to DH on days where Bregman is at the hot corner.
If Campbell is ready for his big league debut, it’s hard to argue with the logic in keeping an open mind about how to make the pieces fit in the lineup. While Devers has been adamant about his desire to continue playing the field, Bregman and Campbell would likely be a more robust pairing defensively than Devers and Bregman given Bregman’s lack of experience at second base and Devers’s lackluster defensive numbers. It’s also not hard to imagine Campbell providing more on offense than the players who could have their playing time impacted by the decision to roster both Campbell and Bregman. In particular, Cotillo notes that Masataka Yoshida and Ceddanne Rafaela could be at risk of having their playing time reduced or even losing their roster spots if Campbell makes the team out of camp.
Speculatively speaking, it would be possible to get both players in the lineup on occasion even with Campbell in the fold. If the club were to play Bregman at third base with Campbell at second against left-handed pitching, that would likely push Devers to DH and Yoshida to the bench. That would allow Duran to play left field with Rafaela’s superior glove in center. Against right-handers, Devers could reclaim the hot corner with Bregman moving to the key stone, Campbell heading to left field, and Duran sliding over to center with Rafaela on the bench. Yoshida is a career .239/.318/.351 hitter against southpaws and playing him in a strict platoon role may be Boston’s preference regardless of how the decision regarding Campbell shakes out.
The righty-swinging Rafaela has reverse splits to this point in his young career, which would make him an imperfect choice to start primarily against lefty pitchers, but his true calling card is his defense and a combination of Duran, Rafaela, and Rob Refsnyder on the grass against southpaws would give the Red Sox an excellent defensive outfield. With that being said, if the Red Sox hope to develop Rafaela into a true everyday player at some point rather than the super utility role he currently finds himself in, the club may prefer to get him everyday playing time in Triple-A rather than sporadic reps in the majors. It’s also worth noting that carrying all three of Campbell, Rafaela, and Yoshida on the roster would effectively shrink the club’s bench, leaving just one roster spot available for Romy Gonzalez, David Hamilton, and Vaughn Grissom.
Of course, all of this is predicated on Campbell hitting well enough this spring to earn a spot on the club’s Opening Day roster. Should Campbell look over-matched this spring, it seems likely the club would simply allow him more time to develop at Triple-A and use Bregman at second base on a regular basis until and unless Campbell earns a promotion to the majors. Even if Campbell can’t crack the big league roster on Opening Day, however, it seems likely he’ll get his first taste of the majors at some point this year, and this latest reporting provides a meaningful glimpse at what the club’s thought process could look like if Campbell forces his way onto the roster later in the year after not making the cut this spring.
Red Sox Hope To Use Masataka Yoshida In Outfield For 2025
Masataka Yoshida had a difficult year in 2024, as he was limited to just 108 games by a thumb injury that wound up causing tension between him and the Red Sox front office. On top of that, Yoshida played just one inning in the outfield last year and was utilized as a platoon player with few opportunities against southpaws. He hit just .280/.349/.415 in 421 trips to the plate during the 2024 campaign before going under the knife to repair the labrum in his right shoulder back in October.
As noted by Chris Cotillo of MassLive, manager Alex Cora told reporters when asked throughout the season about Yoshida’s limited use in the outfield that using him nearly exclusively as a DH was not due to a health issue and instead was a vote of confidence in the defense of the club’s numerous other outfield options. That seems as though it wasn’t entirely the case, however, as Cora acknowledged at yesterday’s Fenway Fest fan event that the shoulder issue Yoshida played through last year limited his ability to play the field by causing problems with his throwing.
“Yeah, our outfield defense was great last year, but in a perfect world, if he was healthy, he was going to play the outfield,” Cora said, as relayed by Cotillo. “The throwing part of it wasn’t there so that’s the reason he actually didn’t play. Hopefully, we can get him there and we can use him in the outfield, too.”
At the time of Yoshida’s surgery, the Red Sox expressed optimism that he’d be ready for Opening Day, and he appears to remain on pace for that goal. Cotillo noted that the 31-year-old is about two weeks away from taking dry swings and could begin a throwing program in March, which might lead him to be ready in a DH-only capacity for the start of the season before later returning to the outfield grass as needed. Having Yoshida limited to DH duties early in the season shouldn’t be a massive obstacle for the Red Sox, who have no established everyday DH at the moment and are deep in outfield options with Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, Rob Refsnyder, and perhaps even top prospect Roman Anthony all in the mix for playing time at the moment.
Of course, this all assumes that Yoshida is still in the organization by the time Opening Day rolls around. The Red Sox have made getting more offense from the right side a clear priority this offseason, but the club’s roster is filled with quality regulars who bat from the left side. Duran, Rafael Devers, and Triston Casas all bat lefty and are ticketed for everyday roles as things stand. They’re joined by Abreu and Yoshida as likely platoon options from the left side, and Anthony also figures to get regular at-bats from the left side once he’s promoted to the majors.
Between previous reports of tension between Yoshida and the Red Sox as well as his questionable fit on the club’s roster, it’s hardly a surprise that Yoshida has found his name at the center of trade rumors this winter. Yoshida himself acknowledged the buzz surrounding him yesterday, telling Cotillo that he has heard the rumors but that a hypothetical trade is “out of [his] control.” To this point, it doesn’t seem as though the Red Sox have gotten much interest in Yoshida from rival clubs and have similarly had little success convincing a club to take on the final three years and $55.8MM remaining on his contract as part of a larger deal.
It’s a hefty price to pay for a player who might profile best as a platoon DH. After all, Joc Pederson is a cut above Yoshida as a hitter in a similar role and settled for a two-year, $37MM guarantee with the Rangers earlier this winter. That contract suggests that the Red Sox may only find a taker on Yoshida if they’re willing to pay his salary down to something below Pederson’s guarantee or take on another inflated contract in return. Given that, it could make sense for the club to hold onto Yoshida for at least the start of the 2025 season in hopes he can build up his value and a more favorable deal can be worked out down the line. That plan would require committing significant playing time to Yoshida for at least the first few months of 2025, potentially blocking Anthony from impacting the big league club early in the year and creating a bit of a logjam in the outfield.
Details On Mariners/Red Sox Trade Talks
The Mariners and Red Sox have been linked together in trade rumors for the better part of a year, including reports from earlier this winter that Seattle turned down Boston’s offer of Triston Casas for either Bryan Woo or Bryce Miller. Another intriguing deal involving Casas was at least discussed between the two sides, as MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reports that the Sox weren’t willing to agree to a deal that would’ve seen Casas swapped in exchange for Luis Castillo. The Red Sox were only open to such a trade if Masataka Yoshida was included along with Casas.
Yoshida signed a five-year, $90MM deal with the Red Sox in December 2022, back when Chaim Bloom was still Boston’s chief baseball officer. The contract greatly exceeded what Yoshida was expected to land in his entry into North American baseball, and once Craig Breslow took over Boston’s front office last winter, it didn’t take long before Yoshida’s name began to surface in trade rumors. Yoshida is still owed $54MM over the final three seasons of that deal, plus he underwent shoulder surgery in October, though he is expected to be recovered in time for Opening Day.
Since Yoshida’s contract has become the central talking point of his MLB career, his salary tends to obscure the fact that he has posted decent numbers over his two seasons in the Show. Yoshida has hit .285/.343/.433 and 25 home runs over 1001 plate appearances, translating to a 112 wRC+. That production has ticked upwards against right-handed pitching, as the lefty-swinging Yoshida naturally has better splits against righties (.810 OPS in 749 PA) than lefties (252 PA). Known for being a very disciplined hitter during his time in Japan, Yoshida has been one of baseball’s toughest batters to strike out during his time with the Red Sox.
For all of Yoshida’s contact, however, he hasn’t delivered much in the way of hard contact or power numbers. He has also posted subpar walk rates, and public defensive metrics didn’t like his glovework over 713 1/3 innings as a left fielder in 2023. The Red Sox responded to the fielding struggles by limiting Yoshida almost exclusively to DH duty in 2024, a decision that reportedly didn’t please the 31-year-old.
Since the Mariners could use a left-handed bat and basically hitting help of any kind, Yoshida might have some appeal on paper to Seattle. That said, Randy Arozarena is set to play left field and Mitch Haniger is already slated to take on the bulk of DH at-bats, so Yoshida would again likely be limited to a platoon DH role in the Mariners’ lineup. It is also easy to imagine what the M’s had little to no interest in taking Yoshida’s contract off Boston’s hands, as reports have indicated that the Mariners might only be open to moving Castillo in order to clear his salary from the books.
Castillo is owed $68.25MM in guaranteed money from 2025-27, plus a $25MM vesting option for 2028 that becomes guaranteed based on health, and if Castillo tosses at least 180 innings during the 2027 season. Trading Castillo and taking back Yoshida would represent only $39.25MM of savings for the Mariners’ payroll, which the M’s probably didn’t view as worthwhile even with the bigger benefit of obtaining a controllable young slugger like Casas. Seattle president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has publicly stated that trading from the rotation is a “Plan Z” option given how much the Mariners value their elite pitching staff, and if the M’s did budge on moving a starter, taking back an unwanted contract as salary offset is surely not on Dipoto’s radar.
It seems increasingly clear that the Sox are ready to move on from Yoshida, yet naturally it will be tricky in getting another team to absorb anything more than a fraction of his $54MM remaining salary. Attaching Casas or another young player to Yoshida in a trade package would be a significant sweetener, even it could also be viewed as something of a waste of a trade asset to give up young talent as part of a salary dump. While $54MM obviously isn’t a drop in the bucket, Yoshida’s contract isn’t all that onerous for a big-market club and a traditional big spender like the Red Sox, plus their estimated $212MM luxury tax number for 2025 is well under the $241MM tax threshold.
That said, the Red Sox have also exceeded the tax line just once in the last five years, as ownership has made a clear mandate to scale back the team’s spending. This hasn’t stopped Breslow from making some significant moves, though Boston’s pitching acquisitions this winter (i.e. trading for Garrett Crochet and signing Walker Buehler and Patrick Sandoval) came with a pretty limited financial cost. The Sox have also been linked to such major free agent names as Juan Soto, Max Fried, Corbin Burnes, Teoscar Hernandez, even if those players ultimately ended up signing elsewhere.
The Mariners and Red Sox have been seen as natural trade partners, as Seattle’s pitching depth and need for hitting dovetails with Boston’s rotation needs and surplus of position players. Considering the quality of the Mariners’ arms, it is safe to guess the Sox would still be open to adding a Seattle starter if an acceptable deal could be lined up, but the two clubs have been unable to find a match after at least a year of on-and-off trade talks.
Masataka Yoshida Undergoes Shoulder Surgery
12:46 pm: According to Ian Browne of MLB.com, the Red Sox are hoping Yoshida will be back in the lineup and ready to play on Opening Day.
11:44 am: Masataka Yoshida had surgery to repair the labrum in his right shoulder earlier this month, the Red Sox announced. The 31-year-old sat out the final two games of the regular season as he contemplated how to address the shoulder soreness that had bothered him for most of the year. He underwent an MRI after the season, and evidently, the results convinced him and the Red Sox that surgery was the best course of action.
The Red Sox described the procedure as “successful,” though it’s unclear what that means regarding Yoshida’s timeline to return. The usual recovery period for position players who undergo a labrum repair is somewhere between four to six months. Reds infielder Matt McLain had labral repair surgery this past March and initially hoped to return in August before suffering a setback. Meanwhile, Padres shortstop Ha-Seong Kim had a labrum repair of his own this offseason, and he is hoping to return sometime between mid-April and early May. Kim’s anticipated timeline is slightly longer than McLain’s, but it’s worth noting that Kim’s injury was in his throwing shoulder while McLain’s was not. Yoshida’s injury is also in his throwing shoulder, but as a designated hitter and a left-handed batter, perhaps his recovery timeline will be on the shorter end of the spectrum. If his timeline is similar to McLain’s original goal, he could be ready to return to game action sometime next March.
The 2024 season was complicated for Yoshida in terms of both his injury status and playing time. There was reportedly tension throughout the year between Yoshida and the Red Sox, both because he sought outside opinions regarding a thumb injury against the team’s wishes and because he was unhappy to be limited to a platoon DH role when healthy. Thus, between his injury troubles, defensive shortcomings, and poor performance against left-handed pitching, not to mention any behind-the-scenes tension, Yoshida’s tenure in Boston hasn’t gotten off to the strongest start. It’s fair to wonder if a change of scenery would do him some good, although his recent surgery and the $55.8MM remaining on his contract through 2027 could make a trade difficult to put together.
If Yoshida remains with the Red Sox next season, it’s hard to imagine his role changing all that much. Boston has two of the best defensive corner outfielders in the league, with Jarren Duran manning left field and Wilyer Abreu covering right. Duran can play center as well, but former top prospect Ceddanne Rafaela is far more valuable as an elite defensive center fielder than a stopgap shortstop, and he needs regular playing time if he’s going to improve at the plate. On the offensive side of things, Yoshida is going to need to slowly earn back playing time against left-handed pitchers; he put up a 103 wRC+ against lefties in 2023 but a dreadful 58 wRC+ against southpaws in 2024. Considering the Red Sox will already have at least four lefty batters in the everyday lineup next year – Rafael Devers, Triston Casas, Duran, and Abreu – it’s understandable why Cora might prefer to sub out Yoshida for a right-handed bat at DH. Thus, if Yoshida wants to be an everyday player for the Red Sox in 2025, he’ll need to make a quick recovery over the offseason and come to camp ready to address his weaknesses at the plate and in the field.
AL East Notes: Bichette, Yoshida, Cortes
The Blue Jays had some largely “exploratory” trade talks involving Bo Bichette early last offseason, TSN’s Scott Mitchell writes. This isn’t exactly new news, as multiple reports last November indicated that the shortstop’s name indeed come up in trade discussions, though those talks were portrayed as other teams checking on Bichette’s availability. Mitchell, however, specifies that “the Jays did indeed shop Bichette.”
As always, there’s plenty of gray area when parsing hot-stove terminology, as the distinction between actively trying to move Bichette and listening on Bichette trade offers could be pretty thin. Executives routinely discuss scores of players in trade talks with other clubs, just as a matter of due diligence in gauging interest. For instance, if Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins had learned that a rival club had a particular interest in Bichette and had a player or players that the Jays liked, Atkins might have been more inclined to “shop” Bichette in that particular direction in order to swing a favorable trade for Toronto. In any case, as Mitchell observes, revisiting any trade talks involving Bichette this winter could be difficult because the shortstop is coming off an injury-plagued down year, so the Blue Jays aren’t likely to land a premium return even if they did look to move Bichette.
More from around the AL East….
- “Some clear discord” developed between the Red Sox and Masataka Yoshida last April, MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo writes, when Yoshida was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left thumb sprain. Yoshida chose to seek out second and third opinions on his sprain, which apparently didn’t sit well with the team, who felt the initial assessment (that Yoshida wouldn’t need surgery) was enough. Yoshida ended up not needing surgery, and spent a little more than six weeks on the IL before returning in mid-June. Between this situation and Yoshida’s displeasure at being a DH-only player who mostly faced only right-handed pitching, Cotillo wonders if both sides would benefit from a trade this winter. Such a move is easier said than done, of course, as Yoshida is owed $54MM over the 2025-27 seasons, and has been good (112 wRC+ in 1001 plate appearances) but not great over his two Major League seasons. Yoshida was also playing through a shoulder problem for much of 2024, which could represent another red flag for any interested trade suitors.
- Nestor Cortes is slated to throw between 20-30 times during a game of catch today, the Yankees left-hander told The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty. This represents the first time Cortes has thrown since suffering a flexor strain in late September. Cortes said he was “feeling good” in his recovery to date, and “if my body responds and if my arm responds, we’ll try to be as quick as possible” in charting out a potential return to the mound. The Yankees would naturally need to advance to at least the ALCS in order to give Cortes any chance of pitching again in 2024, and even if New York does get deeper into October, it remains to be seen if Cortes will be able to be healthy enough to merit a roster spot.
Red Sox Notes: Yoshida, O’Neill, Castiglione
Masataka Yoshida is set to undergo an MRI on his right shoulder, manager Alex Cora told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo) after today’s game. Earlier today, Carlos Yamazaki of Tokyo Sports reported (via X) that Yoshida was considering having surgery, as Yoshida said he has been bothered by shoulder soreness for much of the season.
The 31-year-old Yoshida didn’t play in Boston’s season-ending 3-1 win over the Rays today, thus ending his second MLB season with a .280/.349/.415 slash line and 10 home runs over 421 plate appearances. That translates to a 115 wRC+ in 2024, and after he had relatively similar numbers in 580 PA in 2023, Yoshida now has a 112 wRC+ over his 248 games and 1001 trips to the plate as a big leaguer.
Between these solid numbers and the fact that he is one of the league’s toughest players to strike out, Yoshida’s first two Major League seasons have been quite respectable overall. However, more than “respectable” was expected when the Sox signed him to a five-year, $90MM deal during the 2022-23 offseason. Seen as an overpay of a contract from former Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, Yoshida seemed to answer his critics with some very strong numbers in 2023 before fading down the stretch.
His 2024 was limited in another sense, as Yoshida was almost exclusively a designated hitter. While Cora reiterated today that Yoshida’s usage was more due to Boston’s outfield surplus than due to concerns about Yoshida’s defense, the fact remains that Yoshida played in just one game as an outfielder this season. The left-handed hitting Yoshida was also largely used only against right-handed pitching, further limiting his playing time.
More will be known about Yoshida’s shoulder once the MRI is complete, but if surgery is necessary, that further complicates his status heading into 2025. With three years and $54MM remaining on his contract, Yoshida is a tough player to move in any trade talks, and his trade value will dip further if any health uncertainty is attached. Some room in Boston’s outfield could open up if Tyler O’Neill departs in free agency, but two star Red Sox outfield prospects (Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell) are expected to be part of the big league roster at some point in 2025, further crowding the picture.
There’s also a chance O’Neill is re-signed, as he told WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford and other reporters that he spoke with chief baseball officer Craig Breslow today, and the two both expressed “mutual interest” in a reunion. Breslow also spoke publicly earlier this week about the club’s keenness in possibly bringing the Canadian slugger back for 2025 and beyond.
Injuries have continued to plague O’Neill, as he was limited to 113 games and 473 PA this season due to three relatively brief stints on the 10-day IL. The good news is that when O’Neill was able to play, he delivered to the tune of 31 homers and a .241/.336/.511 slash line, and a 131 wRC+. O’Neill had an elite barrel rate and excellent walk and hard-hit ball rates, even if he also posted one of the baseball’s worst strikeout rates (33.6%). The right-handed hitting O’Neill also had some drastic splits, as he had only a .693 OPS in 317 PA against righty pitching but a whopping 1.180 OPS in 156 PA against southpaws.
The splits are perhaps less of an issue for the Red Sox than other teams, as having a powerful right-handed bat is particularly helpful on a Sox roster that is overloaded with lefty swingers. That said, Boston’s future outfield prospects perhaps cloud the chances of O’Neill’s return, and his injury history does add an extra element of risk for the Sox or any team that signs him to a multi-year contract. It’s not out of the question that O’Neill could accept a one-year qualifying offer to take a $21MM-ish payday and stay in Boston in 2025, but there seems to be a greater chance that O’Neill would reject a QO and seek a heftier contract on the heels of his strong season.
Finally, today’s game marked the final broadcast for longtime radio broadcaster Joe Castiglione, who is retiring from regular announcing duty after 42 years of calling Red Sox games. He was recognized by the Hall of Fame as this year’s winner of the Ford Frick Award, and several Sox legends took part in a pregame ceremony today honoring Castiglione’s tenure as the voice of Red Sox Nation. We at MLB Trade Rumors congratulate Castiglione on his incredible career.