*Photo from the Liberty Line*
Here's a look from Japan to aid the outfield in Beantown. The Boston Red Sox and OF Masataka Yoshida have agreed to a 5 year, $90 million deal, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. The Red Sox have confirmed the addition.
The deal for Yoshida goes down as the second biggest free agent deal for a Japanese player, topped only by Masahiro Tanaka's deal with the New York Yankees in 2014. The Red Sox will also pay a $15.4 million posting fee as a result of Yoshida being posted by Japan. Less than 24 hours after being posted, Yoshida signed with the Red Sox.
Yoshida spent last season with the Orix Buffaloes in Japan. He posted a career best and league leading 1.008 OPS, adding a .335 batting average and .447 OBP. He slugged 21 home runs to go with 88 RBI's, hitting 28 doubles in 119 games. His 138 total hits ranked him 3rd in the Pacific League.
In Japan, Yoshida was a standout player, taking home two NPB batting titles in seven seasons in Japan's highest league. He also has won 4 Pacific League best 9 awards in the outfield. Additionally, he's only struck out more than 70 times in a season once, and has never posted an OBP below .403. He also won a Japan series title in 2022.
Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said of Yoshida before signing him that "He’s someone that we like, we’ve spent a lot of time on. Really, really good hitter, quality at-bat and a great talent. I think first and foremost, when you look at a player like him, the quality of the at-bat stands out."
Over 7 seasons in the NPB, Yoshida has spent all of them with the Buffaloes. In that time, he has a .327 batting average with a .421 on base percentage and .539 slugging percentage, adding 133 home runs with 467 RBI's and 161 doubles, playing in 762 games.
By signing Yoshida, the Red Sox made their first position player addition to the team, previously signing relievers Joely Rodriguez, Chris Martin, and Kenley Jansen. Yoshida has the potential to slide into the leadoff spot in the lineup and will likely assume left field come opening day.
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