When the Boston Red Sox were still competing for All-Star hitter Alex Bregman in free agency, multiple reports indicated that the club would move the Gold Glove Award winner to second base in 2025. Now that Bregman is under contract, Boston is keeping its options open for the upcoming season.
While Bregman will be placed in the heart of the Red Sox lineup, his position hasn’t been determined. Boston’s skipper Alex Cora believes the two-time World Series champion can provide Gold Glove-caliber defense at second base. The club has also backed off its original thinking about moving Rafael Devers to first base.
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- Boston Red Sox payroll 2025 (FanGraphs): $210 million
For now, the likeliest outcome would see Devers stick at the hot corner on Opening Day with Bregman playing second. However, MLB rumors since the signing of the All-Star infielder suggest a second move could be on the horizon that would significantly impact the construction of the Red Sox lineup in 2025.
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According to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, Boston is expected to shop designated hitter Masataka Yoshida throughout spring training with the hopes of finding a new home for the veteran hitter.
- Masataka Yoshida stats (ESPN): .280/.349/.415, .765 OPS, 10 home runs, 2 steals in 378 at-bats
Yoshida, age 31, signed a five-year contract worth $90 million with the Red Sox in December 2022. A four-time All-Star selection in Nippon Professional Baseball, the club hoped he would be a significant contributor at the plate. After he posted a .289/.338/.445 triple-slash line with a .783 OPS in 537 at-bats last season, Boston aggressively shopped him around the league but failed to find a willing trade partner.
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Across two major-league seasons, Yoshida does have a .775 OPS with a .285 batting average, 54 doubles and 116 runs scored in 248 games. While the left-handed hitter has been productive at the plate, he demonstrated in 2023 that he can’t be trusted defensively in the outfield.
- Masataka Yoshida contract (Spotrac): $18.6 million average annual salary 2025-’27
If Boston is going to move Yoshida, it will likely require the club to eat a significant portion of the remaining $55.8 million total he is owed in the next three years. It also means that any deal getting Yoshida off the roster would primarily be to shed payroll.
However, there’s another incentive to make a deal. Trading Yoshida opens up the designated hitter spot for Devers thus allowing Bregman to stay at third base. If Red Sox top prospect Kristian Campbell is ready early in the 2025 season, he could then slide in at second base to create the lineup the club desires most this year.
