Jul 21, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Boston Red Sox batting helmets in the dugout against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Red Sox Predicted To Cut Ties With $90 Million Veteran After Brutal Season

Originally posted on Boston Red Sox on SI
By Jackson Roberts | Last updated Sep 16, 2025 3:00 PM ET

As the Boston Red Sox desperately search for offense at the end of the season, it's hard not to bemoan the struggles of one of their most expensive hitters.

Masataka Yoshida's major league career hasn't gone as planned, as each of his first three seasons has been more disappointing than the last. After missing the first three months of this season due to a slow recovery from labrum surgery, Yoshida has been one of the least productive hitters on the team.

Boston also has Yoshida under control for two more seasons, thanks to the five-year, $90 million albatross contract he signed under the watch of former chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom. With the offseason fast approaching, it's safe to say the 32-year-old's future with the Red Sox is in doubt.

Yoshida predicted to depart Boston this offseason

On Monday, content creator and baseball analyst Robbie Hyde made an early prediction. Hyde believes Yoshida will be traded or designated for assignment this offseason, with the Red Sox eating the majority or all of his $18.67 million salary over each of the next two years.

"While he did show some good things early on, he ran into some injuries, and the numbers have been way down this year, only hitting .227, a .279 on-base, a .326 on the slugging, a 64 wrC+, a negative-0.5 fWAR," Hyde said, rattling off some of Yoshida's lowlights.

"I just don't see the Red Sox keeping him around. I think they're gonna do everything they can to trade him, or in the end, they just DFA him."

Swallowing over $37 million in dead money is a tough ask, but so is finding playing time for a player with such limited capabilities if he's not going to mash at the plate.

When Yoshida was hovering around an .800 OPS in his first season in Boston, the lack of athleticism could be overlooked. It's hard to see that continuing as the Red Sox try to sort out an overcrowded position player group heading into the winter.

This article first appeared on Boston Red Sox on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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