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 Sunday night, sources told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.
Boston is sending 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
A source told 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.
Neither team has announced the trade.
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.
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.
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. 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 Sunday’s 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.
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.
Fajardo was the No. 23-ranked player in the Red Sox system, per MLB Pipeline, before the trade. He was acquired by Boston from the White Sox for lefty Cam Booser on Dec. 21, 2024. Aita was a sixth-round pick by Boston out of Kennesaw State in the '24 Draft.