Red Sox $90 Million Slugger Disappointed In Boston Stint So Far: 'I'm Not There Yet'

Could 2025 be the year things finally click?

Sep 22, 2024; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter Masataka Yoshida (7) hits an RBI single against the Minnesota Twins during the sixth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

As the Boston Red Sox enter the long, cold winter, questions about the 2025 Opening Day lineup are everywhere.

Not only did the Red Sox struggle as a team for most of the second half, but they also have some roster imbalances. Far too much of their lineup is left-handed, and they also have a logjam in the outfield, while the middle infield is more of a question mark.

Designated hitter Masataka Yoshida will likely be at the center of many offseason discussions and debates. The 31-year-old, who just finished the second year of his five-year, $90 million deal in Boston, doesn't appear to be a perfect fit for the current roster, prompting rampant trade speculation.

In a Thursday story by MassLive's Chris Cotillo, Yoshida dropped a memorable quote about his own performance this season, expressing disappointment in his lack of progress from year one.

“Going into my second year, I was expecting a lot from myself. It was actually far from what I expected myself to be,” Yoshida said through an interpreter. “Compared to other elite, first-class guys, I’m not there yet, physically or mentally.”

“Going into my second year, I was expecting a lot from myself. It was actually far from what I expected myself to be,” Yoshida said. “Compared to other elite, first-class guys, I’m not there yet, physically or mentally.”

To be fair, it's not as though Yoshida has been bad during his two-year Red Sox tenure. His career .775 OPS and 111 OPS+ are numbers lots of big-leaguers would gladly sign up for. But they're not the numbers a team hopes to get from a DH, and certainly not the numbers Yoshida came to expect from himself in Japan.

In his seven seasons in NPB, Japan's highest level of competition, Yoshida slashed .327/.421/.539. Though he had two seasons with over 25 home runs, he was billed as more of a contact hitter coming over to the U.S., but an elite one at that. He's shown flashes of that impressive high-average profile, but it hasn't fully clicked just yet.

The "physical" part of Yoshida's comment is telling as well, because there aren't a lot of 5-foot-8 players in Major League Baseball that move as slowly as Yoshida does. Red Sox great Dustin Pedroia proved long ago that height doesn't measure talent, but if Yoshida could marginally increase his athleticism, that would go a long way.

Going into year three, it's clear Yoshida is motivated to prove he can be a true impact bat at the big-league level. The question then becomes whether or not he will get the chance to do it in a Red Sox uniform.

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