Red Sox $90 Million Superstar Has Witty Response To Involvement In Trade Rumors

Trade rumors are no joke, but sometimes, a wisecrack fits the moment...

Aug 26, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter Masataka Yoshida (7) hits a double against the Toronto Blue Jays in the ninth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox have done a poor job this winter of keeping their star players insulated from trade rumors.

Whether it's been Wilyer Abreu, Triston Casas, or Masataka Yoshida involved, it's become clear that the Red Sox have attempted to trade from their surplus of left-handed bats. There was even a report from MLB.com's Mark Feinsand that the Red Sox tried to attach Yoshida's contract to Casas in a potential trade with the Seattle Mariners.

The Red Sox have to do what they can to make the team better, and the players on the team understand that. But make no mistake, the players involved in trade rumors or even reports of attempted trades know their name is being thrown around.

Yoshida recently addressed the trade speculation swirling around his name at this weekend's "Fenway Fest" event held at Fenway Park.

“I kind of kept (the rumors) muted so I wasn’t really paying attention,” Yoshida said jokingly through an interpreter. “I did pay attention to those but it’s out of my control, so we’ll see what happens.”

Yoshida also expressed his belief that he could perform better in 2025 than he had in his first two years in Boston, helping to live up to his five-year, $90 million price tag.

“Obviously I haven’t played up to fans’ expectations yet,” he said. “All the stats and results I had, in Japan are not as reflected here as I hoped to, so obviously I want to play up to the expectations and keep improving myself.”

Through two seasons in Boston, Yoshida is slashing .285/.343/.433, good for a 111 OPS+. But his lack of power (25 career home runs) combined with being limited to designated hitter duties in 2024 have made him a relatively expendable player, unless his bat ticks up in years to come.

As he recovers from offseason labrum surgery, Yoshida will continue to wait on news of where he'll play ball in 2025. If it's the Red Sox once again, he has to view this season as an opportunity to make good on the faith Boston had in him when they signed the deal.

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