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Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow remains active on the trade market.
On Sunday, the Red Sox acquired first baseman Willson Contreras from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for right-hander Hunter Dobbins as well as minor-league righties Yhoiker Fajardo and Blake Aita, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan and The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.
Contreras, 33, will bring much-needed right-handed pop to the Red Sox lineup. The three-time All-Star slashed .257/.344/.447 with 20 home runs and 80 RBI in 135 games last season.
Defensively, Contreras should be a significant upgrade at first base. He ranked fourth among all players at the position last season with six Outs Above Average. Fellow Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas had -10 OAA in 2024, his lone full MLB season.
Contreras is signed through 2027 with $36.5 million remaining on his contract. He has a $17.5 million club option for the 2028 season that comes with a $5 million buyout.
Although he isn’t a threat to hit 40+ homers, Contreras is still a solid alternative for the Red Sox after they whiffed on signing free-agent slugger Pete Alonso. His swing is tailor-made for Fenway Park, and his defense blows both Casas’ and Alonso’s out of the water.
This was the Red Sox’ second trade with the Cardinals this offseason. In November, they acquired veteran right-hander Sonny Gray in exchange for righty Richard Fitts and left-handed pitching prospect Brandon Clarke.
Boston still has not made a big-league free-agent signing.