The Boston Red Sox acquired first baseman Willson Contreras in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday, the second big deal between the teams this winter as the Cardinals rebuild and the Red Sox aim to stay competitive in the cutthroat American League East division, sources told ESPN.
Contreras, 33, has been one of the steadiest right-handed hitters in baseball since his debut and will bring his well-above-average glove to a position Boston had spent the offseason trying to fill. The Red Sox will receive $8 million to cover the remaining $42.5 million on the three-time All-Star's contract and sent right-hander Hunter Dobbins and right-handed pitching prospects Yhoiker Fajardo and Blake Aita to the Cardinals, sources said.
While the Cardinals were not intent on trading Contreras this winter, the opportunity to land a major league-ready starter in Dobbins helped facilitate a deal that came after Sonny Gray waived his no-trade clause to go from St. Louis to Boston in late November. Contreras likewise waived his no-trade clause after receiving an extra million dollars guaranteed through a renegotiation of his contract, sources said.
The amended contract will pay Contreras $18 million in 2026 and $17 million in 2027 with a $20 million option in 2028 that now includes a $7.5 million buyout. (Previously, the deal paid him $18 million in '26, $18.5 million in '27 with a $17.5 million option and a $5 million buyout.) Boston had sought a right-handed bat to play first base and fell short in the bidding for free agent first baseman Pete Alonso, who signed with division rival Baltimore.
Though Contreras doesn't possess the power of Alonso, he has been a tremendously steady hitter since debuting at catcher for the Chicago Cubs in 2016. Over his 10-year career, Contreras has hit .258/.352/.459, and last year, after shifting full-time to first base, he hit .257/.344/.447 with 20 home runs and 80 RBIs.
To get Contreras, the Red Sox dipped into their deep well of starting pitching, sending the 26-year-old Dobbins, who figures to have a spot in St. Louis' rotation when he returns from a July ACL tear that ended his debut season. Prior to the injury, sustained when covering first base, Dobbins went 4-1 with a 4.13 ERA over 13 outings, allowing just six home runs in 61 innings and striking out 45 against 17 walks.
The 19-year-old Fajardo, who had been traded to the Red Sox a year ago to the day, posted a 2.25 ERA over 72 innings between the Florida Complex League and Low-A Salem this year. A $400,000 signing out of Venezuela, he runs his fastball up to 97 mph and complements it with a changeup and slider.
Aita, 22, was a sixth-round pick out of Kennesaw State in 2024 and finished this year at High-A. Featuring a mid-90s fastball, Aita struck out 99 and walked 30 in 115.1 innings with a 3.98 ERA over two levels.
ESPN's Jesse Rogers contributed to this report.