The big move Detroit Tigers fans were hoping for has yet to materialize this winter.
Alex Bregman, who played for manager A.J. Hinch with the Houston Astros, is the biggest name the Tigers have been connected to. On Monday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com predicted that the market for Bregman would come down to Detroit and the Boston Red Sox.
On the other side, if the Red Sox land Bregman, they’ll have some tough decisions to make regarding their left-handed position players. One solution could be to move Rafael Devers from third base to designated hitter, then trade Masataka Yoshida, who has three years left on his contract.
Appropriately, the Tigers were named in a recent article speculating the top trade fits for Yoshida this winter, written by Mark Ruelle of FanSided.
“This deal would like cost the Red Sox the most in terms of salary they would have to eat,” Ruelle said. “The Tigers are certainly in win-now mode after last year’s surprising performance.”
“Yoshida certainly could provide an excellent platoon with veteran Mark Canha in left field and serve as DH insurance for the oft-injured Kerry Carpenter. Boston can ask for big league pitching in the deal but would certainly settle for a B-level prospect.”
Yoshida, 31, hasn’t had the big-league career he’s hoped for, but he’s still been a productive hitter, with a 111 OPS+ in two seasons.
Boston still owes Yoshida over $55 million of the $90 million he originally signed for prior to the 2023 season. If the Red Sox really are desperate to move on from Yoshida, the youthful Tigers really might be the best fit.
They’re not as likely to eat money on the deal as some big-market teams might be, but there’s no clear DH option in Detroit, and Yoshida has succeeded offensively in stadiums with big outfields like Comerica Park.
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