Red Sox reportedly open to trading key player to help shed payroll for free agency pursuits

In a relatively inactive offseason, the Red Sox could be willing to move one of their most notable players.

Boston is open to trading Mastaka Yoshida as it continues to pursue free agent Teoscar Hernández, The Athletic‘s Ken Rosenthal and Jen McCaffrey reported Friday. The Red Sox aren’t believed to be shopping around their left fielder, but “are open to virtually any idea” to improve their roster as “several teams” have shown interest in Yoshida with the team looking to open up salary, the report added.

Yoshida had a solid first season in Boston, at least at the plate. He slashed .289/.338/.445 with 15 homers and 72 RBIs in 140 games. However, Yoshida’s numbers took a dip in the second half of the season, hitting .254 with a .663 OPS in his final 62 games.

Additionally, Yoshida struggled in the field last season. The left fielder recorded a minus-8 Outs Above Average, which would’ve been tied for the third-worst among players at his position last season if he played enough to qualify. Those fielding struggles have left some to wonder if he’ll move to designated hitter at some point in the foreseeable future.

The Red Sox could take that decision off their hands if they opt to trade him. Yoshida has four years and $72 million remaining on his five-year, $90 million deal he signed with the Red Sox last offseason, which would help clear $18.6 million in salary for the 2024 season if they were to move him.

Hernández, who the Red Sox have been linked to ever since they missed out on Yoshinobu Yamamoto in December, could command a similar salary. The Athletic and MLB Trade Rumors both projected that Hernández would receive a four-year, $80 million deal earlier this offseason. But the Red Sox are looking “to tackle other areas of the roster and reduce payroll before committing to the free agent,” The Athletic reported.

Moving Yoshida could also open up a spot for Hernández to slot in easier to in the field. He’s played right field for much of the last few seasons, but with Fenway Park’s dimensions, left field could better suit Hernández’s defensive abilities. Hernández has played 239 games in his career in left, too.

The biggest plus for the Red Sox possibly adding Hernández is his bat. He would give Boston much-needed right-handed hitting help as it largely struggled from the plate last season and could lose its top two right-handed hitters from last season (Justin Turner and Adam Duvall) in free agency.

Hernández struggled, at least for his standards, in his only season with the Mariners (slashing .258/.305/.435), but he still hit 26 homers last season and has been one of the top hitting outfielders in the American League. In his last four seasons with the Blue Jays, Hernández slashed .270/.326/.507 with 99 homers, 292 RBIs, and a 125 OPS+ over 449 games. He’s also hit well at Fenway Park in his career, slashing 282/.344/.606 with 14 homers and 44 RBIs in just 45 games.

The Red Sox have already made some moves with their outfield this season. They shipped out Alex Verdugo to the Yankees in exchange for pitching prospects before adding Tyler O’Neill from the Cardinals, addressing some of their right-handed hitting problems.