12 Red Sox Who Won't Be Back in 2025 After Falling Short of Playoffs Again

2. Masataka Yoshida

When Masataka Yoshida signed a five-year, $90 million deal with the Boston Red Sox in Dec. 2022, the expectations for him through his first two Major League seasons were certainly higher than what he has provided. The 31-year-old spent the first seven seasons of his career in Japan.

The Red Sox tried shopping Yoshida last season, but his contract makes him a difficult candidate to move. Yoshida has three years and $55.8 million remaining on his deal. He was supposed to play left field once coming stateside, but has been a defensive liability and become one-dimensional as a designated hitter. Yoshida only appeared in one game in the field all season.

Yoshida has seemingly fallen out of favor with manager Alex Cora, who often elected to utilize different players in the DH spot throughout the course of the season. He featured in 108 games in 2024, hitting .280/.349/.415 with 10 home runs and 56 RBI. The left-handed hitter also particularly struggled against southpaws, hitting only .192/.278/.287. with two home runs and 14 RBI.

The Red Sox are going to try to trade Masataka Yoshida this offseason – that feels like an almost foregone conclusion. The only question is if a potential return will even make it worth moving him, as suitors are likely going to be hard to come by. Boston isn't going to want to continue to shell out over $18 million per season for a player who can't play the field and can't hit lefty pitching.