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The Red Sox are one of the most active teams on the trade market this offseason and struck again Sunday night, acquiring Willson Contreras from the Cardinals in exchange for righthanded pitchers Hunter Dobbins, Yhoiker Fajardo and Blake Aita.
Contreras hit .257/.344/.447 with 20 home runs in 2025 and is entering the final two years of a five-year, $87.5 million contract he signed prior to 2023. As part of the deal, the Cardinals are sending $8 million in cash to Boston, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Sunday’s deal marks the second trade between the two clubs over the last month as the Red Sox position themselves to contend in the AL East in 2026 while the Cardinals continue to bolster one of baseball’s best farm systems under Chaim Bloom. In November, St. Louis sent RHP Sonny Gray to Boston in exchange for LHP Brandon Clarke, who now ranks sixth in the Cardinals system, as well as RHP Richard Fitts.
RED SOX RECEIVE
Willson Contreras, 1B
Age: 33
Over the last 10 seasons, few catchers have hit as well as Contreras. He’s a career .258/.352/.459 hitter, but moved off catcher last season and instead played 120 games at first base. Contreras is a righthanded bat with power and on-base ability. His walk rates were down quite a bit in 2025, but he hit 20 home runs for the sixth time in his career. It’s unclear whether the Red Sox would consider Contreras as a backup catcher, but it’s far more likely he splits his time between first base and designated hitter. Contreras has two years remaining on his contract at $18 million in 2026 and $18.5 million in 2027. The team also has an option on Contreras for $17.5 million in 2028.
CARDINALS RECEIVE
Hunter Dobbins, RHP
Age: 26
Dobbins was Boston’s No. 11 prospect entering 2025. He made his MLB debut on April 6 and spent the first half of the season with the team. He tore his right ACL in July and missed the remainder of the season. When healthy, Dobbins mixes six pitches in a four-seam fastball, sinker, slider, sweeper, curveball and splitter. Dobbins sits 95-96 mph as a starter and has shown the ability to consistently throw strikes and work deep into starts. Dobbins will compete for a rotation spot in 2026 with the Cardinals.
Yhoiker Fajardo, RHP
Age: 19
The White Sox signed Fajardo for $400,000 out of Venezuela in 2024, then dealt him to the Red Sox for reliever Cam Booser prior to 2025. Fajardo broke out with the Red Sox this past season and ranked ninth in their system entering 2026. Fajardo throws a four-seam fastball, slider and changeup with above-average control. Fajardo’s fastball sits 93-95 mph with below-average ride, but it’s an average pitch because of his velocity and command. His mid-80s gyro slider misses bats with unusually low spin. Fajardo’s upper-80s changeup has good separation from his fastball with good whiff and chase rates in 2025. Fajardo has back-end starter upside.
Blake Aita, RHP
Age: 24
The Red Sox selected Aita in the sixth round of the 2024 draft out of Kennesaw State and he made his pro debut in 2025 with Low-A Salem. After 10 appearances spanning 51 innings, Boston promoted him to High-A Greenville. With the Drive, Aita went 3-4 with a 3.78 ERA, 20.9% strikeout rate and 8.1% walk rate over 64.1 innings.
Aita doesn’t miss many bats, but he throws lots of strikes and held opposing hitters to a .212 batting average in 2025. Aita mixes five pitches in a four-seam fastball, cutter, sweeper, changeup and slider. Aita’s 92-93 mph fastball has average ride and heavy armside run. His cutter is his primary secondary, sitting in the high 80s with spin rates north of 2,600 rpm, and it plays perfectly off his fastball and sweeper. Aita’s low-80s sweeper spins at 3,000+ rpm and averages 15-16 inches of sweep. It’s a plus sweeper with high whiff and chase rates. Aita’s changeup is his go-to weapon against lefthanded hitters with good vertical separation from his fastball. Aita rarely throws his mid-to-low-80s slurvy slider.