The Boston Red Sox outfield is already crowded, and they could be forced to make a trade when one of their more expensive sluggers returns to the lineup.
Last season, Masataka Yoshida occupied the designated hitter spot. However, with Rafael Devers now claiming that position, Yoshida will have to earn playing time in the outfield. The only problem is that he may not have a spot there.
He is not an elite defender, and Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela and Rob Refsnyder are already crowding the outfield. Roman Anthony will surely take one of the three spots soon. The Red Sox may be forced to move on from Yoshida, and FanSided’s Katrina Stebbins urged the Detroit Tigers to acquire him.
“Adding Yoshida would be a little like adding another Kerry Carpenter,” wrote Stebbins. “They’re both lefties who can mash righties, but don’t really hit against fellow lefties, have recent histories of injury, and have been subpar on defense, leading their clubs to prefer using them more in a DH role. Still, Carpenter’s only gotten one start as DH this season, and has been an at-least-average defender.
“If the Tigers were willing to roll with the punches and move Riley Greene to center more often, Carpenter and Yoshida could post up at the corners,” Stebbins continued. “The team would be gambling by sacrificing defense in the name of offensive possibilities, not assurances, but Yoshida is at least guaranteed to add a lot more to the Tigers’ lineup than (Ryan) Kreidler.”
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Yoshida has hit just 25 home runs in two seasons and has not lived up to his five-year, $90 million deal. Before joining the Red Sox, he consistently posted 20-plus home run seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball. However, a change of scenery could do him some good. The Red Sox are going to struggle to find him playing time and a $90 million player on the bench does not seem smart.
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