Cardinals’ Willson Contreras traded to Red Sox as Boston adds right-handed power

The Boston Red Sox have been searching for a right-handed power bat for weeks. On Sunday night, they finally found one.

Boston acquired Willson Contreras, along with $8 million in cash, from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for right-handed pitchers Hunter Dobbins, Yhoiker Fajardo, and Blake Aita.

St. Louis will cover $8 million of the remaining $41.5 million owed to Contreras, whose contract runs through 2027 and includes a $5 million club option for 2028. He is owed $18 million in 2026 and $17 million in 2027. The 2028 option—valued at $20 million—now carries a $7.5 million buyout, per MassLive's Chris Cotillo. ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reports that Contreras will also receive a $1 million bonus as a sweetener for waiving his no-trade clause.

The move addresses Boston’s long-standing need for a right-handed bat capable of anchoring first base. The Red Sox had been linked to Pete Alonso, but their offer fell short. Alonso ultimately signed with the Baltimore Orioles on a five-year, $155 million deal.

Contreras isn’t Alonso, nor does he offer the left-handed thunder of Kyle Schwarber. But the profile Boston acquired is more substantial than the surface framing might suggest.

Over the past two seasons, Contreras has posted a .358 on-base percentage, .354 wOBA, and a 130 wRC+, placing him in the same offensive neighborhood as Fernando Tatís Jr., Christian Yelich, George Springer, and catcher Will Smith. His .196 isolated power reinforces that the pop is real, while a .361 xwOBA suggests the production is supported by contact quality—not noise.

While Contreras may not headline offseason billboards, he brings exactly what Boston lacked: a right-handed bat that consistently gets on base, hits for power, and sustains run creation without needing protection or platooning.

He will also step in as Boston’s starting first baseman, giving the club stability at the position for the first time in years. A catcher for most of his career, Contreras transitioned to first base last season and appeared in 120 games, posting six Outs Above Average—tied for the fourth-highest mark among all MLB first basemen.

Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow declined to commit to Triston Casas as the starting first baseman entering the season, as Casas continues to recover from a ruptured patellar tendon suffered in May. With Contreras now in place, Boston can afford to slow-play Casas’ return, potentially stashing him at Triple-A Worcester. As Casas regains his timing and strength, his left-handed bat could eventually platoon with Contreras down the stretch.

Boston cycled through several options at first base in 2025, including Romy Gonzalez, Abraham Toro, Nick Sogard, and deadline pickup Nathaniel Lowe. Contreras finally allows the position to be penciled in.

With first base settled, Boston’s infield picture sharpens. Trevor Story is locked in at shortstop, while Marcelo Mayer could handle either second or third base, depending on how the Alex Bregman sweepstakes unfold. Toronto has reportedly shown interest in Bregman and has met with his representatives, though he currently appears to be more of a Plan B or complementary option for the Blue Jays. Their preference remains landing Kyle Tucker, with Bo Bichette also on their radar.

Contreras’ final four seasons in Chicago overlapped with Breslow’s tenure in the Cubs’ front office, before Breslow was hired to lead Boston’s baseball operations following the 2023 season.

From St. Louis’ perspective, the move clears a path for left-handed slugger Alec Burleson to transition to first base in 2026. To acquire Contreras, Boston once again dipped into its pitching pipeline. Cardinals' new president of baseball operations, Chaim Bloom has been looking to add young pitching as he retools St. Louis' farm system. 

Dobbins, the most MLB-ready arm in the deal, missed the second half of last season after tearing his ACL. Prior to the injury, the 26-year-old made 13 appearances (11 starts) in his first taste of the majors, posting a 4.13 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and a 45-to-17 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 61 innings. He is expected to be ready for Opening Day and will compete for a rotation spot in St. Louis.

Fajardo, who turned 19 in October, was a relatively unknown prospect when Boston acquired him from the White Sox last winter in exchange for left-handed reliever Cam Booser. He elevated his profile quickly, dominating rookie ball and Single-A Salem with a 2.25 ERA across 19 games (17 starts). His four-pitch mix was intriguing enough for SoxProspects to rank him eighth in the system.

Aita, 22, was Boston’s sixth-round pick out of Kennesaw State in 2024. He logged 115⅓ innings across Single-A Salem and High-A Greenville in 2025, posting a 3.98 ERA and ranking 36th on SoxProspects’ list.

This is the second trade between the two clubs this offseason. Earlier, Boston sent Richard Fitts and left-handed prospect Brandon Clarke to St. Louis for Sonny Gray.

With Dobbins gone, Boston’s rotation depth takes a hit, but with a full offseason still ahead, the club can continue supplementing its pitching surplus. The projected rotation now features Garrett Crochet, Gray, and Brayan Bello, with Johan Oviedo, Connelly Early, Payton Tolle, Patrick Sandoval, and Kutter Crawford providing depth.

Sunday night’s trade is another significant move by Breslow, who continues reshaping the roster through bold, calculated decisions. Since taking over baseball operations, he has acquired Crochet, Gray, Tyler O’Neill, and now Contreras—while also trading Rafael Devers to the Giants on Father’s Day.

For the Red Sox, the deal reflects a clear pivot: sacrificing pitching depth to secure a proven right-handed bat under control through at least 2027. Contreras may not have been the loudest name on the board, but the numbers—and the fit—suggest this was less a fallback move and more a calculated correction to a lineup that needed stability in the middle.