BOSTON -- Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow’s lengthy search for a bat landed him a solid right-handed-hitting veteran first baseman in Willson Contreras and cash in a trade with the Cardinals on Monday.
Boston sent over a package of young pitchers, led by righty Hunter Dobbins, who had a solid first stint in the Majors (13 appearances, 11 starts) in '25, in which he went 4-1 with a 4.13 ERA before a torn right ACL ended his season. In addition, righty prospects Yhoiker Fajardo and Blake Aita are headed to St. Louis.
TRADE DETAILS
Red Sox get: 1B Willson Contreras, cash
Cardinals get: RHPs Hunter Dobbins, Yhoiker Fajardo (was Boston’s No. 23 prospect in MLB Pipeline rankings) and Blake Aita
The plan is for Contreras to be Boston’s primary first baseman, though he could also see some reps at DH.
“Willson is a three-time All-Star; a World Series champion who brings an intensity and a competitive edge to a position that we had identified as an area of need,” said Breslow. “He can play first base as a right-handed hitter, so it’s a profile that fits well at our park. So we're excited to bring him on and feel that he lengthens the lineup and gives us some much needed pop.”
A source told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand that the Cardinals are sending $8 million to the Red Sox to help cover the balance of the $82.5 million deal Contreras signed with St. Louis prior to the 2023 season.
Contreras became the second acquisition by Breslow this winter to waive a full no-trade clause to go from the Cardinals to the Red Sox. Veteran righty Sonny Gray did so last month. Chaim Bloom, who preceded Breslow as the leader of Boston’s baseball operations staff from 2019-23, is in his first year as St. Louis' president of baseball ops.
“Obviously, there's a lot of things [to a trade and] I'll let Boston speak to that, but there's a lot of things about that situation that could be appealing to him or to any player,” said Bloom. “So, at the end of the day, he chose to do it and he was a total pro.”
The 33-year-old Contreras is due to make $18 million in 2026 and $18.5 million in '27. There is a $17.5 million club option for '28 that includes a $5 million buyout.
While the addition of Contreras helps fortify Boston’s lineup and brings balance to a hitting group that has leaned left in recent years, Breslow will be on the hunt for more offense this offseason.
"It's a priority for us,” said Breslow. “We've got to make sure that we line up on that target, whether it be a free agency or the trade market, but we're certainly doing the work to put ourselves in position to do that.”
Most notably, third baseman Alex Bregman, who emerged as a leader upon arrival with Boston last February, is a free agent. If the Sox can re-sign Bregman, it would be equally important for the clubhouse, the offense and the team’s infield defense.
“I'm not going to get into the specifics of the pursuits of individual players. Alex was here last year. We have a great relationship, and got to see the impact that he could have on the field and on some of our younger players,” Breslow said. “We appreciate and respect that without question, and also recognize that Alex has earned the right to reach free agency and has decisions and options in front of him.”
Bo Bichette is another free agent who could entice the Red Sox, and Arizona second baseman Ketel Marte is a player to pay attention to on the trade market.
After making three trades earlier in the offseason to land starting pitchers Gray, Johan Oviedo and Jake Bennett, there was angst in Red Sox Nation that the team had yet to add a hitter.
Breslow quieted some of the noise with his latest move.
In Contreras, the Sox added a seasoned hitter who smashed 20 homers with a career-best 31 doubles in '25.
The addition of Contreras leaves questions about the role of Triston Casas going forward. The left-handed hitter finished third in the American League’s Rookie of the Year voting in '23, but injuries limited him to 92 games over the last two seasons.
Casas suffered a ruptured left patellar tendon that ended his '25 season on May 2. The Red Sox struggled to find production at first base for the rest of the season.
“It's no secret that Triston has tremendous potential, but also hasn't been able to stay on the field the last couple of years thanks to two really unfortunate, but significant, injuries,” said Breslow. “I had a chance to talk to Triston this morning, and what I told him is exactly what I'll share with all of you, which is that we still have a ton of confidence and belief in Triston. What he needs to do is commit to doing everything possible to get back on the field. He's doing that right now.”
Contreras had always been a catcher but the momentum changed on that when he suffered a fractured left forearm after being hit by the bat of J.D. Martinez in May 2024, causing him to miss six weeks. For the rest of that season, he split time between catcher and DH.
In hopes of keeping him in the lineup more often, St. Louis moved Contreras to first base in '25 and he made a remarkably smooth transition. He was tied for fourth in MLB in outs above average (plus-6) in 2025 at the new position.
Contreras has played 1,078 games in his career, slashing .258/.352/.459 with 172 homers and 548 RBIs. He is a three-time All-Star, most recently in 2022, when he was with the Cubs.
It will be interesting how playing half of his games at Fenway might enhance the pull-side power of Contreras.
“Over the last few years, his ability to pull the ball in the air has increased,” said Breslow. “That's something that's going to profile really well at our park. It's steadily gone up with a pretty big jump, I think, almost 10 percent from ‘24 to ‘25 in terms of just getting the ball in the air to left field.”