Red Sox Insider Admits Harsh Truth About $90M 'Sunken Cost'

With under one month to go until Opening Day, the Boston Red Sox look like a team on paper that can contend in the American League.

While this is the case, there is still one glaring question for the roster. What will the club do with Masataka Yoshida? It's no secret that Yoshida's standing with the club is murky, to say the least. Yoshida landed a five-year, $90 million deal with the club with the intention that he would come in and be a big bat at the top of the order and help out in the outfield for years. He was relegated to the designated hitter spot, though. Now, there isn't even a clear spot to DH with four other elite outfielders in town in Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela.

But what will the Red Sox do? MassLive.com's Sean McAdam made a strong case for Boston to release him while speaking to Chris Cotillo on the "Fenway Rundown" podcast.

The Red Sox have a decision to make

Oct 2, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida (7) runs to first base after hitting a single in the fourth inning against the New York Yankees during game three of the Wildcard round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

"You wonder at what point does this become a not Patrick Sandoval situation, but a Pablo Sandoval situation where you rip the band-aid off and just release him," McAdam said. " ... While Sandoval was not regarded as a great teammate in terms of his conditioning and willingness to push through things that Yoshida, there are no complaints from the organization or teammates. They like this guy, he works hard, he plays hard, he tries to help, but he is limited and I guess I am just wondering what's going to change, not just in a month or two months, he has two years left on this deal.

"I mean, is it going to get to a point where 'Well, okay, we're not below $30 million so we can eat that?' Or, 'We're below $20 million so we can pull the ripcord.' Do it now. Let this guy get a chance to hook on somewhere else. Maybe it's going back to Japan. Maybe it's getting a deal elsewhere on a minimum. Obviously, he's going to clear waivers if that's the route they take.

"They're kidding themselves into thinking that this is going to solve itself by some freak occurrence, whether that's injury or performance issue. Nothing is going to make Masataka Yoshida into the player they thought they were buying when they gave him five years and $90 million. It's sunken cost. It is taking up room on your payroll and your bench. Do it now. I don't expect them to, but they should."

Arguably, this would be a good path forward. At the end of the day, Boston is fortunate to have the outfield talent that it has now. The position has shifted in the organization to the point at which it is difficult to see a path to playing time.

McAdam arguably is right. Even if an injury were to pop up, the Red Sox still have four elite outfielders. If an injury popped up, they'd still have three and could use Triston Casas in the DH spot when he's healthy. At the end of the day, there isn't much of a path for Yoshida right now and ending the conversation this offseason would at least get the financial hit out of the way sooner.