The Boston Red Sox won seven straight prior to Wednesday's loss to Kansas City. Aside from a bumpy start for newcomer Dustin May, not much has gone wrong for Boston since the All-Star break. Even after a painfully quiet trade deadline from Craig Breslow, the Red Sox have tons of positive momentum.
Only four games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in a winnable division, the Red Sox have the feel of a legitimate World Series contender. Alex Cora has a lot of weapons at his disposal, especially on offense. One could argue that he almost has too much firepower at a few positions.
The Red Sox' outfield overflow is well-documented. With Roman Anthony locked up for the next eight years at least, Boston essentially has four everyday starters and three outfield spots to fill. Ceddanne Rafaela, Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu are all enjoying tremendous seasons in their own right. All four of Boston's outfield stars can defend their positions and produce significant power numbers in the batter's box.
With an abundance of riches before him, Cora has taken to starting Rafaela at second base. In the DH slot is Masataka Yoshida, who recently returned from injury. Ideally, Boston would be able to get Rafaela in centerfield, where he's one of the most impactful gloves in MLB. But someone needs to hit the chopping block — and it's not, despite popular pre-deadline theorizing, Jarren Duran.
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Red Sox can solve outfield logjam with Masataka Yoshida DFA
This Red Sox logjam disappears instantly if Craig Breslow simply bites the bullet and DFAs Masataka Yoshida. The 32-year-old has struggled upon his return from injury this season, hitting .222 with a .596 OPS and one home run in 54 at-bats. It's a small sample size, to be clear, but Yoshida has been a disappointment for the duration of his contract.
Axing Yoshida would allow Boston to move Jarren Duran into the DH slot, with Roman Anthony in left field, Ceddanne Rafaela in center field and Wilyer Abreu in right field. That may not be optimal for the 28-year-old Duran, who can still offer defensive value with his rocket-like arm, but it is far more optimal for the Red Sox as a whole.
This would allow Boston to position three cornerstone pieces (all elite defenders) in the outfield. Meanwhile, second base opens up for Romy González, who boasts an incredible .912 OPS and 142 wRC+ in 187 at-bats this season. If Boston isn't comfortable deploying González on a full-time basis, Kristian Campbell is on a historic heater in the minors. It might be time to reunite him with Anthony and Marcelo Mayer on the MLB roster.
Boston effectively improves its defense and replaces Yoshida with a more dependable bat in the lineup. It's an easy win for the Red Sox front office.
There's one catch to ideal Red Sox outfield solution
Here's what is keeping the Red Sox from leaving Yoshida on the cutting room floor: money.
The former NPB superstar is smack in the middle of his five-year, $90 million contract. He's due a combined $37.2 million in 2026 and 2027, as well as the remainder of his 2025 salary. That is a lot of money to swallow, especially for a GM as risk-averse as Breslow. Boston would much prefer a return on their investment in Yoshida.
And yet, since Yoshida is seldom usable in the field and he's out of alignment with Boston's young core, it's still the best move for the team. Absent viable trade partners, the Red Sox can immediately improve their short- and long-term outloook with a Yoshida DFA. Sometimes the best front offices just know when to cut their losses. There's nothing fun about $37.2 million in dead money, but it's not worth making your team worse in the middle of a postseason push.