3. Masataka Yoshida, OF/DH
Masataka Yoshida signed with the Red Sox before the 2022 season for record-breaking numbers at the time. According to Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors, Yoshida’s five-year, $90 Million contract was “the loftiest guarantee of any position player making the jump from Nippon Professional Baseball to the majors.”
Since then, Yoshida has not lived up to the lofty expectations and his average annual salary of $18 million per year for the next three seasons appears to be one of the worst contracts on the Red Sox. During the 2024 season, Yoshida hit 10 home runs while driving in 56 runs with a .280 batting average. These stats fall short of what is expected of an $18 million-per-year player.
A possible trade was brought up by my FanSided colleague, Zach Pressnell, where the Red Sox would swap Yoshida for New York Mets’ outfielder, Starling Marte. A move like this would save the Red Sox millions of dollars while bringing in another quality right-handed bat. If Craig Breslow can find a similar trade partner for Yoshida, the 2025 Spring Training period will be Masataka’s last as a Red Sox player.
4. Lucas Giolito, SP
After a disastrous ending to the 2023 season, where he ended with a 7.04 ERA in six starts with the Cleveland Guardians, the Red Sox signed Lucas Giolito during the 2024 off-season to a two-year deal worth $38.5 million.
Heading into the 2024 season, Giolito was expected to bring some stability at the top of the Red Sox’s rotation. In an interview with Ian Browne of MLB.com, Giolito mentioned how his conversations with pitching coach Andrew Bailey, along with the lore of the Boston Red Sox, gave him confidence that he could regain his form as one of the best pitchers in the league. From 2019-2021, Giolito went 29-21 with a 3.47 ERA while holding opponents to a .207 batting average.
After suffering a season-ending shoulder injury during Spring Training ‘24, Giolito is returning this year to a revamped starting rotation headlined by the acquisitions of AL Comeback Player of the Year, Garrett Crochet, and World Series champion Walker Buehler.
Time will tell if Giolito can regain his elite form, but if he cannot fill in as a number-3 starter behind Crochet and Buehler, this may be his first and last spring training with the Red Sox.