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15 hours ago
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The Red Sox are in a position to fight for a postseason spot the rest of the way. However, they could be making some big changes in the coming days to better their team.
The Red Sox have one too many outfielders on their roster. With Marcelo Mayer hurt, the Red Sox have Ceddanne Rafaela playing second base, easing the logjam slightly. Right now, the designated hitter spot has most often been manned by Masataka Yoshida since his return. However, the Red Sox could need the DH spot when Mayer returns and they have Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu vying for at-bats.
The Red Sox signed Yoshida to a five-year, $90 million deal before the 2023 season. He has hit 25 home runs in the big leagues after hitting 20-plus home runs in four of his final five seasons in Japan. FanSided's Chris Landers tabbed Yoshida as a player who could be traded this week.
"Given a long enough runway, Yoshida might well get back to looking like the hitter he was for much of 2023-24," wrote Landers. "But the Red Sox don't have that much longer to wait, especially if they're going to hang on to Jarren Duran past the trade deadline. If Duran is still in Boston come August, and if the team finds a way to upgrade at first base, the math suddenly doesn't look great for Yoshida."
Trading Yoshida would give the lineup some breathing room. The team would have a way to get all of its young outfielders in the lineup, as well as Mayer, when everyone is healthy. However, trading Yoshida may not be easy.
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There are a few teams in need of outfielders at the trade deadline. However, the Red Sox outfielder most teams are likely interested in is Jarren Duran. Yoshida is not the best defender, his contract is going to be hard to move and he simply has not carried his power numbers from Japan to MLB.
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