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The Red Sox added to their first base depth as well as some right-handed power when they traded for Willson Contreras on Sunday night.
Boston acquired the first baseman/catcher from St. Louis in a trade that included pitcher Hunter Dobbins.
With the Red Sox not committing to Triston Casas as the team’s 2026 first baseman, Contreras gives them an option to play the corner position and will provide some power to the lineup.
There’s still more work to be done, but here’s how those around MLB graded the trade.
“This is the second time the Cardinals and Red Sox have matched up this winter, and once again, it’s a deal that makes a lot of sense for each side. The Red Sox get the right-handed power bat they’ve wanted and needed for a while now — not one that plays second or third, but first base was exactly settled either — and the Cardinals get another young starting pitcher to throw immediately into their rotation, plus a couple of higher upside arms for down the road.
“Contreras isn’t a 30-homer guy, but he’s had at least a 123 OPS+ each of the past four seasons, and he tends to pull the ball in the air, which could play well at Fenway Park. He also graded as a strong defender in his first full season at first base. He’s a good fit for a team that wants to improve its infield defense and leans left-handed in the lineup.”
Grade: A
“After pursuing and failing to land Pete Alonso, the Red Sox instead turn to Contreras, who has certainly been defined by his consistency, with OPS+ figures of 126, 123, 138 and 123 over the past four seasons, and a slugging percentage between .447 and .468. He has two years left on his contract at $36.5 million, plus a $17.5 million club option for 2028 (or a $6 million buyout), giving the Red Sox their first baseman for 2026 and ’27 and probably putting Casas on the trade block.
“Contreras feels like a safe bet, but there are some warning signs here. He’s entering his age-34 season, in that danger zone, and he’s coming off a career-low 7.8% walk rate while also seeing his strikeout rate increase the past two seasons. But the bat speed (95th percentile) and hard-hit rate (83rd percentile) remain strong, so though he shouldn’t fall off a cliff, his best days are probably behind him. The MLB average OPS at first base was .755 and Contreras’ OPS in 2025 was .791, so maybe he remains slightly above average for the position, at least in 2026.”
Grade: B
“Generally, bat speed is one of the main concerns for right-handed first baseman aging into their mid-30s. That variable not only impacts their slugging capacity, but also their ability to keep their strikeout rate in check. While Contreras swings and misses and punches out his fair share, it should be encouraging that he improved both his in-zone and overall contact rates in 2025 — and did so with only a slight reduction in his swing rate. Anything and everything can happen in this sport. Still, Contreras looks like he ought to be good for another above-average showing or two.
“If nothing else, the Red Sox were able to net an above-average stick on a short, cheap agreement for more of their pitching surplus without touching anyone they’re likely to miss in 2026 (Payton Tolle or Connelly Early) or compromising other pursuits. This, then, seems like another fine swap both ways.”
Grade: A
“By the end of the 2025 season, Boston’s offense was MIA. With Triston Casas and Marcelo Mayer on the shelf and Kristian Campbell in Triple-A, the Red Sox finished the year a middling 15th in homers — then went out and scored a grand total of six runs in their Wild Card loss to the New York Yankees. Re-signing Alex Bregman was a priority, but even getting that done would just put Boston back where they started, and where they started wasn’t good enough.
“Contreras didn’t come free, but he also didn’t cost Boston more than it could afford to lose. He’s still a very good hitter, one who should enjoy the friendly confines of Fenway Park, and he shows little sign of slowing down entering his age-34 season. There’s risk here, to be sure — he’s an aging righty first baseman, after all, and the Sox are still on the hook for $16 million a year or so in 2026 and 2027 — and more work needs to be done for this offense to be good enough to win a World Series. But Contreras helps in a way this team definitely needed, and Dobbins, while valuable, didn’t have a clear role on next year’s team.”
Grade: B
“Contreras is a solid right-handed bat, but isn’t a WAR machine. In 2025, he slashed .257/.344/.447 with 20 home runs, 80 RBIs, and a wRC+ of 124. He posted 2.8 fWAR. His peak season came in 2022 with the Cubs, where he slashed .243/.349/.466 with 22 homers, 55 RBIs, and a wRC+ of 134. He posted 3.5 fWAR in 113 games. He’s coming off a biceps injury that ended his 2025 campaign and has had various injuries throughout his career that have limited the former catcher’s availability.
“He can still get it done at the plate and provides a good right-handed bat in the middle of a Red Sox lineup littered with lefties. Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Masataka Yoshida and Marcelo Mayer are all lefties who project as regulars. Contreras helps balance things out.”
Grade: B-