Full trade, per ESPN sources: Red Sox gets: 1B Willson Contreras and $8 million to cover some of his remaining $41.5 million in salary. Cardinals get: RHP Hunter Dobbins, RHP Yhoiker Fajardo and RHP Blake Aita
Originally a catcher, Contreras has spent the last three seasons with the Cardinals, primarily as a first baseman. In 2025, Contreras slashed .257/.344/.447 with 20 home runs in 563 plate appearances, along with a 25.2 K% and 7.8 BB%. Those 563 plate appearances were the most in a single season of his career.
Contreras has hit the 20-home run mark six times in his 10-year career and fell just five home runs short in 2024 when he hit 15 home runs in 358 at-bats for a 141 wRC+. By acquiring Contreras, the Red Sox have added something in the middle of the lineup.
It’s also unclear what will happen to Triston Casas, who played just 29 games last season before his injury. It was the second straight season in which more than half of it was spent on the shelf, as the first baseman played just 63 games in 2024. In his lone healthy season in 2023, Casas slashed .263/.367/.490 with 24 home runs in 502 at-bats.
The Red Sox have been active on the trade front this season. In late November, they acquired Sonny Gray to strengthen their rotation, who also spent the 2024 season with the Cardinals. A few days later they acquired Johan Oviedo and some other pieces from the Pittsburgh Pirates. However, they have not yet signed a player to a Major League contract.
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