Masataka Yoshida’s Future in Boston Is as Clear as Mud

I can't see us carrying 2 DHs or playing Devers at 3B enough & Yoshida in LF enough to have enough PAs for Yoshida to build back up helpfulness and trade value.

Even if an OF gets hurt, we have Anthony. We also have a better LHB in Refsnyder. 

There was a reason I spent too much of my winter scrounging team rosters to find a trading partner for Yoshida. Most of what I came up with looked lame, and the Arenado choice went poof, when we signed Bregman.

I think we will need to just trade him for the most we can get, and that assumes paying $12-14M a year of his $18M x 3 remaining. It sucks, but it is what it is. The guy can still hit well enough to be someone's DH, but who is starting the season dying for a moderate DH without much power?

Trade him for a non 40 man roster prospect and throw in whatever is needed for cash.

Refsnyder is already squeezed and should be playing, every time a lefty starts. Anthony and Mayer are almost certainly going to get a long look, sooner rather than later. Both are better than Romy and DHam, but we are not squeezing 3 of those 4 guys, just to have two full time DHs on the 26.

10 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Rusney Castillo's franchise record for highest paid AAA player is about to be eclipsed.

Masa was an overpay right from the start, but it’s not like the guy can’t hit. $18M+ for Masa, and $30M+ for a more expensive DH. What a deal.

23 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

I can't see us carrying 2 DHs or playing Devers at 3B enough & Yoshida in LF enough to have enough PAs for Yoshida to build back up helpfulness and trade value.

Even if an OF gets hurt, we have Anthony. We also have a better LHB in Refsnyder. 

There was a reason I spent too much of my winter scrounging team rosters to find a trading partner for Yoshida. Most of what I came up with looked lame, and the Arenado choice went poof, when we signed Bregman.

I think we will need to just trade him for the most we can get, and that assumes paying $12-14M a year of his $18M x 3 remaining. It sucks, but it is what it is. The guy can still hit well enough to be someone's DH, but who is starting the season dying for a moderate DH without much power?

Trade him for a non 40 man roster prospect and throw in whatever is needed for cash.

Refsnyder is already squeezed and should be playing, every time a lefty starts. Anthony and Mayer are almost certainly going to get a long look, sooner rather than later. Both are better than Romy and DHam, but we are not squeezing 3 of those 4 guys, just to have two full time DHs on the 26.

Ref Man most likely will get more squeezed as time goes on as Abreu might see more time against LHP.

Oh no! The Sox have an $18mill bench outfielder with a career .810 OPS vs RHP and 3 options left! This situation is completely unsalvageable now that MLB has outlawed injuries!

1 hour ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Rusney Castillo's franchise record for highest paid AAA player is about to be eclipsed.

Per season, but not overall.

1 hour ago, mvp 78 said:

They love Rafaela's defense, but Abreu has the higher ceiling IMO. 

LF Anthony

CF Duran 

RF Abreu

Abreu-Rafaela platoon in RF. 

Rafaela can be the super utility guy when not playing RF. He can fill in at CF, SS and 2B.

34 minutes ago, drewski6 said:

The visual of Refsnyder at the top of the dugout when Abreu was batting against a lefty was pretty telling to me. Then Abreu worked a walk against that lefty and then smashed his second HR in his final at-bat.  I felt a little sorry for Ref, losing his most likely platoon-mate because Abreu looks like he deserves a chance to be every-day right now.

I'm still not sure he gets the start, when a LHP starts. Drawing the walk was nice, but Rey is the 13th best batter vs LHPs over the past 3 seasons, combined. Abreu has been sub .575.

3 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Yoshida could beat both records.  Castillo's years of total exile were 2016-2019.

It was '17-'20, and if you count 8 PAs in 2016 (40 in 2014), then Yoshida will likely get that in some of the next 3 years.

I can't give up on a big league hitter in his prime who has averaged .285 and .775 in two seasons. 

Let Yoshida fully heal and if he has more extra base power, keep him in the majors -- even if it's in the dugout. True contenders can use a quality bat that can come off the bench and make better contact than anyone else on the roster.

It's not like Boston is overloaded with talented hitters who don't strike out...

1 minute ago, Bellhorn04 said:

But where exactly do you fit him in if Devers is healthy?  Who does he replace?

Like I said, on the bench as a non-starter. But if Yoshida starts blasting extra-base hits, he could force his way back into the line-up, at least at part-time LF or DH. 

I don't think Devers stays healthy. Even after half a year of shoulder issues (including, apparently this winter) he was still swinging from his heels at pitches out of the strike zone and whiffing three times in a row. On Day One. Does any fan feel he has changed a bit? Forget about adjusting to DH; how about adjusting as a professional hitter -- did he shorten up with two strikes and try to line a pitch to the left side even once?

As to who Yoshida could replace on the current roster, do the Sox really need to carry eight relievers? The last guy is always on the Woo train, anyway. Also, if Refsnyder isn't going to platoon with Abreu or even pinch-hit for him, then he becomes expendable. 

The problem is if Anthony totally rakes in Triple A -- which he already did last summer -- Breslow has to make room in the starting outfield for baseball's Number One position prospect. Trading Yoshida doesn't do that; it's got to be one of yesterday's outfielders we saw in Texas.

54 minutes ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

I can't give up on a big league hitter in his prime who has averaged .285 and .775 in two seasons. 

Let Yoshida fully heal and if he has more extra base power, keep him in the majors -- even if it's in the dugout. True contenders can use a quality bat that can come off the bench and make better contact than anyone else on the roster.

It's not like Boston is overloaded with talented hitters who don't strike out...

Who should he replace?

He still has value, but for a team like the Sox, who already has a FT DH plus Refsnyder, Yoshida needs a long term injury to win a slot on the 26, and even then, it has to be to only Devers, Bregman or maybe refsnyder or an OF'er.

If it's an OF'er, I think Ref vs LHPs and Anthony are ahead of Yoshida.

26 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Refsnyder hit .941 against lefties last year.  The Red Sox as a team hit .728.

He will get his at-bats.

How about a larger sample size?

2023-2025

.886 Refsnyder

.879 Romy

.788 Casas

.749 Devers

.721 Wong

(.704 Bregman w HOU)

.680 Duran

.610 Rafaela

.563 Story

.539 DHam

.524 Abreu

9 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

How about a larger sample size?

2023-2025

.886 Refsnyder

.879 Romy

.788 Casas

.749 Devers

.721 Wong

(.704 Bregman w HOU)

.680 Duran

.610 Rafaela

.563 Story

.539 DHam

.524 Abreu

 

 

Abreu didn’t hit lefties well in the minors either.  I don’t think his role expanded because he had a great opening day.  And it won’t be reduced if he goes 0 for 4 today…