Lower than a month after touchdown Sonny Grey, the Crimson Sox have acquired one other distinguished veteran expertise from St. Louis. Boston has landed first baseman Willson Contreras and $8MM in money issues from the Cardinals in trade for a bundle of three right-handed pitchers — Hunter Dobbins and prospects Yhoiker Fajardo and Blake Aita.
Contreras and his brokers at Octagon negotiated an additional $1MM bonus for Contreras to approve the commerce, because the veteran’s contract features a full no-trade clause. The ultimate two assured seasons of Contreras’ contract and the membership choice on his providers for 2028 have been barely reworked, so he’ll now obtain $18MM in 2026, $17MM in 2027, and the Crimson Sox maintain a $20MM membership choice on his providers in 2028, with a $7.5MM buyout. (The earlier phrases included an $18.5MM wage in 2027 and a $17.5MM membership choice with a $5MM buyout.)
The ultimate accounting works out to $42.5MM in assured cash for Contreras over the rest of his deal. Factoring within the Cardinals’ $8MM contribution, Boston’s dedication to Contreras is $34.5MM in wage, and his luxurious tax quantity is $17.25MM.
When the Playing cards have been first exploring a rebuild final winter, neither Contreras or Grey was open to waiving their no-trade safety. After a lackluster 78-84 season despatched the Playing cards extra firmly trying in direction of the longer term, Grey, Contreras, and Nolan Arenado (who blocked a deal to the Astros final winter) all indicated in latest months that they have been extra open to accepting a commerce.
In Contreras’ case, he cracked the door open on the finish of season by saying that “if one thing comes up…and it is smart for me and my future, how about we speak about that?” Contreras stated. The primary baseman careworn that he was nonetheless desperate to contribute as a veteran chief inside the Cardinals’ rebuild, although stories emerged a number of weeks in the past that Contreras was exhibiting an elevated willingness to waive his no-trade clause and transfer on to a brand new problem.
Contreras (who turns 34 in Could) ends his St. Louis tenure with a .261/.358/.459 slash line and 55 house runs over 1416 plate appearances from 2023-25. Signed to a five-year, $87.5MM free agent deal again in December 2022, the concept was that Contreras would take over from Yadier Molina because the group’s common catcher, but in considerably awkward vogue, the Cardinals lowered Contreras’ enjoying time behind the plate and used him recurrently as a DH. Heading into the 2025 season, Contreras turned a full-time first baseman, returning to a place he’d performed solely a handful of occasions earlier in his profession with the Cubs. The Outs Above Common metric gave Contreras a optimistic +6 grade for his first base work in 2025, however he additionally obtained -1 Defensive Runs Saved.
Regardless, it could seem to be Contreras is a minimum of a satisfactory defender on the chilly nook, and the Crimson Sox can reside with solely so-so protection so long as the previous All-Star continues to hit. Contreras batted .257/.344/.447 with 20 house runs over 563 PA in 2025, translating to a 124 wRC+. A career-low 7.8% stroll charge was a priority and Contreras has at all times been susceptible to strikeouts, however he continued to make persistently laborious and productive contact. Contreras is a right-handed batter, which helps stability out a Boston lineup that tilts to the left facet.
Contreras’ closing 4 seasons in Chicago overlapped with Craig Breslow’s time working within the Cubs’ entrance workplace, earlier than Breslow was employed to take over Boston’s baseball operations division following the 2023 season. Breslow’s tenure has to this point been outlined by vital trades, starting from the offers that introduced Grey, Garrett Crochet, and now Contreras to Fenway Park, and final June’s shocking transfer that despatched Rafael Devers to the Giants.
One of many many elements concerned within the Devers commerce was Devers’ displeasure over being requested to maneuver to first base within the wake of Triston Casas’ season-ending knee surgical procedure in early Could. Whereas Romy Gonzalez and deadline pickup Nathaniel Lowe helped fill the primary base void, there was little doubt the Sox have been going to handle the place in a bigger vogue this winter. Pete Alonso, Isaac Paredes, Kazuma Okamoto, Munetaka Murakami, and Bryce Eldridge have been among the many first base candidates on Boston’s radar on the free agent and commerce fronts this winter, and Cotillo reported final week that Contreras was one other identify into consideration.
With Contreras now within the fold, a Casas commerce now appears to be like more and more probably. Casas has been floated in commerce talks even courting again to final winter and previous to his knee surgical procedure, and regardless of his injury-shortened season, rival golf equipment determine to have curiosity within the former prime prospects. Conversely, if the Sox may work out a strategy to dump Masataka Yoshida’s contract, Casas may share first base/DH duties with Contreras.
Including a primary baseman solves one other piece of Boston’s infield puzzle, and turns a place from a weak hyperlink right into a power. The Crimson Sox stay linked to such different main infield names as Bo Bichette or previous pal Alex Bregman, and Contreras’ $36MM price ticket shouldn’t forestall the Sox from spending huge on both of these names, even contemplating Boston’s latest wariness about main monetary commitments. Buying and selling an outfielder may additional shake up the position-player combine, and there have been constant rumors about the opportunity of the Sox transferring an outfielder for pitching.
The Crimson Sox entered the winter with a whole lot of pitching depth by way of younger arms, but have been missing confirmed frontline hurlers that might be part of Crochet and Brayan Bello within the rotation. Grey was one reply, and fellow commerce pickup Johan Oviedo might be one other after Oviedo was acquired from the Pirates. This has made Breslow extra snug in buying and selling from additional down his pitching depth chart, and after transferring Richard Fitts and prospect Brandon Clarke to St. Louis for Grey, Breslow has now parted methods with Dobbins, Fajardo, and Aida.
The equation has been fairly easy for Breslow. The CBO has been prepared to maneuver some (i.e. Jhostynxon Garcia, Kyle Teel) of Boston’s extra highly-touted prospects whereas hanging onto the likes of Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, and Kristian Campbell, and likewise transferring some pitchers that now not appear to be in Boston’s plans. In Dobbins’ case, he isn’t even going to be obtainable for the Cardinals’ Opening Day roster, because the righty tore his proper ACL final July. This was the second proper ACL tear Dobbins has endured, plus he has a Tommy John surgical procedure on his checkered well being historical past.
Dobbins made his MLB debut in 2025, and posted a 4.13 ERA, 6.6% stroll charge, and 17.6% strikeout charge over his first 61 innings within the Present. An eighth spherical choose for the Sox within the 2021 draft, Dobbins is extra of grounder-heavy pitcher than an enormous strikeout arm, however his slider and curveball have good whiff charges as enhances to his 95.5mph fastball. Important questions stay about Dobbins’ sturdiness, however the 26-year-old right-hander has lower than a yr of MLB service time and now tasks to be a longer-term add to the St. Louis rotation.
Cardinals president of baseball ops Chaim Bloom is loads acquainted with Dobbins, as Bloom was operating Boston’s entrance workplace when Dobbins got here into the group. Apparently, of the 5 pitchers obtained by the Cardinals within the Contreras and Grey trades, Dobbins is the one one who was a part of Boston’s group when Bloom was nonetheless there.
Fitts and (when wholesome) Dobbins can issue within the Cardinals’ rotation image as early as 2026. Dobbins doesn’t in any respect match Bloom’s want so as to add one other veteran arm to the rotation, but discovering an innings-eater is a short-term aim, whereas Dobbins is a part of the larger image. That has been the story of this offseason in St. Louis, as with Bloom now absolutely put in atop the decision-making pyramid, the Cardinals are embarking on the rebuild they thought of however then backed away from final winter.
Buying and selling Contreras removes one other huge chunk of wage from the Playing cards’ books. An Arenado deal might be the subsequent step, although that commerce will probably be trickier resulting from each Arenado’s wage and the truth that (not like Contreras or Grey) Arenado is coming off a tough 2025 season. Different gamers like Brendan Donovan and JoJo Romero have additionally been recurrently talked about in commerce rumors. One participant St. Louis wasn’t very prepared to maneuver is Alec Burleson, who now appears to be like to step proper into the on a regular basis first base function with Contreras gone.
Fajardo was a global signing for the White Sox in 2024, and he has now been traded twice earlier than his twentieth birthday. Fajardo modified his Sox when Chicago despatched him Boston a yr in the past within the Cam Booser commerce, and the righty had a 2.25 ERA, 28.8% strikeout charge, and a 9.4% stroll charge over 72 innings in rookie ball and with A-level Salem in 2025. MLB Pipeline ranked Fajardo twenty third on their rating of the highest 30 Crimson Sox prospects, describing {the teenager} as “a possible mid-rotation starter” whose four-seam fastball can hit 97mph.
Aita was a sixth-round choose for the Crimson Sox within the 2024 draft. His first professional season noticed the 22-year-old right-hander publish a 3.98 ERA in 115 1/3 mixed innings in Salem and at high-A Greenville, with a 21.4% strikeout charge and 6.5% stroll charge. As per Geoff Pontes of Baseball America, Aita technically has a five-pitch arsenal however he hardly ever throws his slider. Aita’s fastball is within the 92-93mph vary however with loads of motion, and there’s additionally a whole lot of motion and spin on his sweeper and cutter.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan (a number of hyperlinks) was the primary to report that Contreras was going to Boston for Dobbins and a number of minor league pitchers, with The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal later figuring out Fajardo and Aita. ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reported the element of Contreras’ $1MM bonus for waiving his no-trade clause. MassLive’s Chris Cotillo reported the $8MM heading from St. Louis to Boston, and Cotillo and The Athletic’s Katie Woo had the small print on the reworked cash in Contreras’ contract.
Inset image courtesy of Isaiah J. Downing — Imagn Photos
