BOSTON — It’s not re-signing Xander Bogaerts (yet?), but the Red Sox made a huge free agent splash Wednesday evening. Boston has reportedly signed Japanese outfielder Masataka Yoshida to a five-year contract.
Yoshida’s deal is reportedly worth $90 million over those five years, with the Red Sox also sending a posting fee in the $15 million range to the Orix Buffaloes. ESPN’s Jeff Passan was first to break the news of the signing.
The 29-year-old lefty slashed 335/.447/.551 with 21 home runs, 88 RBIs, and 56 runs scored for the Buffaloes last season, helping lead Orix to a Japan Series championship. Yoshida also walked 80 times in 119 games while only striking out 41 times in his 508 plate appearances.
Striking out is rare for Yoshida, as he’s only fanned 97 times over 1,467 plate appearances over the last three years. The 5-foot-8, 176-pound outfielder is an on-base machine, leading Nippon Professional Baseball in OPS the last two years. He’s slashed .327/.421/.539 over his seven-year career.
Yoshida hit a career-high 29 homers in 2019, though he is not known for his power. He’s known more for his bat-to-ball skills, and has reached base in more than 40 percent of his plate appearances in each of the past six seasons.
After a quiet start to the offseason, things have really ramped up for the Red Sox on Wednesday. Shortly after the team reportedly signed closer Kenley Jansen to a two-year deal, it was reported that Boston had reignited talks with Bogaerts and upped its offer for the shortstop.
Now the Red Sox have added some much-needed help to its outfield in signing Yoshida.
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