The Alex Bregman signing means something slightly different to just about every member of the Boston Red Sox, but some will undoubtedly be more affected than others.
Bregman was the presumptive answer to a question that had been asked all offseason: How will the Red Sox balance out the lineup? With far too many left-handed hitters in 2024, the Red Sox grabbed a righty to hit near the top of the order, but now they have to sort out the trickle-down effect.
The simplest, cleanest solution appears to be plugging Bregman in at second base, leaving Rafael Devers in his natural position at third. However, Bregman is a far better defender at the hot corner, and the Red Sox may use second to give rising star prospect Kristian Campbell the earliest possible opportunity to crack the lineup.
If that scenario plays out, Devers becomes the obvious designated hitter and Masataka Yoshida is a man without a clear role on the team. Logic would state that a trade is likely to follow, but with three years and over $55 million remaining on his contract, would any team show interest?
FanSided’s Zach Pressnell believes there’s a trade that can clear some bad contracts for two teams. On Sunday, Pressnell proposed that the Red Sox could ship Yoshida to the New York Mets for two-time All-Star Starling Marte, who is owed $20.75 million in the final year of his Mets deal.
“Marte slashed .269/.327/.388 in 2024 with seven home runs and 13 doubles in 94 games,” Pressnell wrote. “Yoshida slashed .280/.349/.415 with ten home runs and 21 doubles in 108 games. Yoshida gets the slight edge with the bat, but Marte plays the field, so they’re likely pretty even here.”
“While Boston may not be getting the better player, they would be saving nearly $40 million. The Mets have plenty of money to spend and bringing in Yoshida could prove to be well worth it if he continues to slug like in 2024.”
Marte, 36, definitely is no longer the player that he was in his prime. With that said, he still hits lefties well, putting up an .844 OPS against them in 113 plate appearances last season. He could form the short side of a platoon with Wilyer Abreu and play an easy left field in front of the Green Monster.
Whether or not such a trade is feasible comes down to how much the Mets value Yoshida’s bat over Jesse Winker, their presumed starting DH at the moment. There’s a strong chance they don’t think he’s worth taking on the money, but one never knows, because Yoshida is capable of a big leap offensively if he stays healthy.
