Masataka Yoshida is a good hitter. He's a small marketer's wet dream; he gets on base, doesn't strike out a lot, and is highly disciplined at the plate. He's a good asset to have, but...where is he going to be in the Boston Red Sox lineup?
The safest spot for Yoshida is at the DH slot, but he's platooning that role with Roman Anthony. He's not an everyday player like he's supposed to be. The question could be solved by subtracting someone at the deadline (such as Jarren Duran or even Yoshida himself), and many believe it'll be Duran. However, what if they shock everyone and trade Yoshida?
Could the Boston Red Sox Trade Masataka Yoshida Before the Deadline?
Think about it: Yoshida is a hitter that teams desperately need, especially teams like the Phillies and the Guardians. For many, this could be a good deal to be considered. The Red Sox have endless depth in that outfield, and someone needs to be gone. They shouldn't trade Duran or anyone who has been on that roster all year because of their locker room chemistry. Yoshida could be the outlier here.
The Guardians need hitters like him, given how Jhonkensy Noel had regressed to the point where he was demoted to AAA, and nobody outside of Steven Kwan or Jose Ramirez is hitting over .240. That's one of the key reasons why the team is now three games under .500. They're also listening to calls for Emmanuel Clase and Cade Smith, so there are options for returns there, and Yoshida would be a great facelift for that offense at DH.
What Breslow could do is add Yoshida to a package, presumably with SS/2B Mikey Romero, SS/2B Franklin Arias, or OF Jhostynxson "The Password" Garcia. The latter two are the organization's top-five prospects, with Arias at #2 and Garcia at #3. This will uplift the Cleveland farm system to what's already a solid foundation, and it's not like they'll be needing any more middle infielders or outfielders anytime soon.
It's time to splurge, and Yoshida could bring in a headliner in a package. The only problem is the salary; he's making $18M a season. The Red Sox may need to eat up some of that money (say, around $18M) to make that happen.