The Houston Astros exist in between two worlds this offseason as they intend on contending but have done little to upgrade the 2025 roster, which finished 87-65 and became the first Astros team to miss the playoffs since 2016. With a glut of infielders and plenty of uncertainty in the outfield, it has been speculated all offseason long that a trade for a left fielder would make perfect sense for the team.
Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran had been reported as one player Houston was interested in, but Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic said on Saturday that those talks have stalled. Following this report, a different Red Sox outfielder was floated as a potential option for Houston: Boston Red Sox LF/DH Masataka Yoshida.
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For the Astros, the appeal of the 32-year-old Yoshida comes in the form of his floor-raising capabilities in comparison to their other options in left. He is currently starring for Japan at the World Baseball Classic, and is a solid left-handed bat.
The fearsome slugger Yordan Álvarez is not expected to play the field at all this season on account of his recurrent injury struggles, the experiment of putting Jose Altuve (who put up a paltry -5 Outs Above Average in 371 innings) in left proved to be a mistake and the remaining options are all younger players with either a lack of a track record or a lack of success in the big-leagues.
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Earlier this offseason, MLB.com said Boston would “almost certainly” be open to moving Yoshida before the 2026 campaign. Now, Buster Olney of ESPN is floating him as a floor-raising option for the Astros.
Masataka Yoshida’s Red Sox Tenure
Yoshida only played 55 games in 2025 while recovering from a surgery on his right shoulder’s labrum, but in his two big-league seasons prior to that he posted reliable offensive numbers: after a 5 year, $90 million contract with the Red Sox ended his tenure with the Orix Buffaloes in Japan, Yoshida posted a .285 batting average, a 112 OPS+, and 128 RBIs over 248 games across 2023-2024 with the Sox. In his seven prior seasons in the Nippon Professional Baseball league, Yoshida boasted an impressive .327 batting average and a .960 OPS.
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All of this is to say that Yoshida’s bat carries a level of pedigree with it that every other Astros left field option sorely lacks, and given the Red Sox openness to moving him the Astros must consider him as an option.
Houston Astros manager Joe EspadaTroy Taormina-Imagn Images
(Troy Taormina-Imagn Images)
There are two main obstacles, however. Yoshida is still owed $18.6 million each of the next two seasons, so any trades involving him would most likely involve additional money being sent over by the Red Sox or a similarly-paid player (such as Christian Walker, owed $20 million this season) going back to Boston to offset the steep cost.
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In addition, there is a general lack of confidence in Yoshida’s defensive abilities as a left fielder. But his defensive shortcomings can be masked by Daikin Park’s cozy left field with the Crawford Boxes sitting just 315 feet away from home plate. For a floor-raising left fielder, the Astros could do a lot worse than a player of Yoshida’s caliber.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Mar 7, 2026, where it first appeared in the MLB section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.