"What in the world are the Red Sox doing?": Red Sox fans shocked as insider hints at possibility of a trade around Masataka Yoshida

There are speculations that Boston Red Sox could look to move on from Masataka Yoshida. They are currently being tied to free-agent outfielder Teoscar Hernandez.

Several teams have reportedly made Boston aware that they are interested in acquiring Yoshida. However, the Red Sox are not actively shopping him. Nevertheless, they are open to the idea, as per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

Acquiring Hernandez would give Boston another right-handed bat, who is coming off a solid 2023 season. He is coming off a year with the Seattle Mariners where he hit .258/.305/.435 with 26 home runs and 93 RBIs.

For Yoshida, he is coming off his MLB debut season. He appeared in 140 games, hitting .289/.338/.445 with 15 home runs and 72 RBIs. At points during the season, he struggled but had a strong year overall.

"What in the world are the Red Sox doing? (not saying it’s wrong but this may be an entirely new team)" - one fan posted.

"Now that would be a mistake" another fan posted.

Boston fans are surprised by the speculation. They viewed Masataka Yoshida as a core piece of the organization for years to come.

Yoshida signed a five-year, $90 million contract last offseason. That will be quite the contract to pick up for any teams interested in the Japanese slugger.

Despite the second-half woes, Masataka Yoshida shined for the Red Sox

Chicago White Sox v Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox finished last place in the American League East with a 78-84 record. Masataka Yoshida was one of the team's bright spots during a lackluster season.

Despite a late-season slump, Yoshida finished the year with impressive numbers. He led the team in batting average and finished with the second most hits, right behind Rafael Devers.

It was a tale of two halves for Yoshida. During the first half of the season, he was incredible. However, during the back half of the season, his approach at the plate looked completely different.

Yoshida went from looking for his pitch early in counts to just trying to stay alive in the batter's box. While that is cause for concern, slumps can happen to the best of hitters.