We see MLB teams take chances every offseason in free agency. Organizations like the Boston Red Sox are always hoping their million-dollar gambles pay off, such as signing Japanese outfielder Masataka Yoshida to a five-year, $90 million contract as they did on Wednesday.
Yet, until we can actually see a new player take the field in his new clubhouse, nobody really knows what to expect as far as results go.
Typically in MLB free agency, the idea of adding talent to the roster doesn’t feel as much like a guessing game. We can see how specific players perform in specific ballparks over the course of their careers. This naturally only helps project how a player may respond to signing with a new team.
But when it comes to signing overseas prospects, rolling the dice feels like a much bigger gamble. Yet, one that we’ve seen pay off in extraordinary ways. Whether you look to Ichiro Suzuki in the past or Shohei Ohtani right now, there are some true generational, Hall-of-Fame talents that can be had when adding players who have never previously played MLB to the roster. But they come with a great amount of risk.
Last season we saw the Chicago Cubs sign now-28-year-old outfielder Seiya Suzuki to a five-year, $85 million contract after being a five-time Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star, playing in Japan. Suzuki hit .262, with 14 home runs and 46 RBI across 397 at-bats with the Cubs.
This time around, we’re still waiting to see where 3x-NPB All-Star pitcher Kodai Senga ends up in free agency, but we do know where Yoshida has signed after the Red Sox agreed with the outfielder a day ago.
While the ink on the contract is likely still a bit wet, it hasn’t taken long for other baseball executives to offer their opinion on the newest member of the Red Sox outfield.
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Boston Red Sox-Masataka Yoshida signing causing stir
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel spoke to “10 sources” who all agreed the Red Sox “overpaid” by a large amount. In fact, there was one unnamed MLB executive who even stated, “We thought he was worth less than half of what Boston paid.”
Keep in mind, the Red Sox also had to fork over an additional $15.4 for the posting fee, which heads back to his team in Japan, the Orix Buffaloes.
Scouts don’t seem to question whether the lefty bat has pop. They believe he can continue to hit somewhere near 20 home runs a game, but they are concerned about Yoshida’s ability to stick in the outfield, with nearly twice as many games as his team’s designated hitter as opposed to being in the field with a glove.
On one hand, it’s hard to argue or greatly criticize what Boston did. If the Yoshida signing blows up in their face, it’s only money. Yet, if he becomes a star, the amount of value the 29-year-old Japanese native would bring to the franchise is arguably immeasurable.
We may not know what Yoshida is capable of just yet, and until he can take the field and get a strong sample size of plate appearances and innings in the outfield, it will be hard to judge said signing. For now, the Red Sox are swinging for the fences, hoping it goes over the Green Monster at Fenway Park.
When you’re an organization that has won using unconventional methods in the past, it never hurts to try again. We’ll see how this latest signing pans out, but it’s clear from the start, some baseball execs feel Boston has just made a grave mistake.
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