Boston Red Sox acquired a veteran slugger Wilson Contreras in trade with St. Louis Cardinalsreports ESPN. The Cardinals will get a right-hander. Hunter Dobbins and minor league pitchers Yoiker Fajardo and Blake Aita in return, according to Athletic. This is the second significant trade between the Cardinals and Red Sox this offseason; Boston sent two young pitchers to St. Louis for Sonny Gray last month.
Like Gray, Contreras will receive an additional $1 million in guaranteed money in exchange for waiving his no-trade clause, according to the filing. Boston Globe. He's contracted through 2027 with a club option for 2028 and is now worth $42.5 million. Cardinals will pay $8 million of $42.5 million, reports MassLive. Although Contreras initially showed no interest in leaving St. Louis, even with the rebuild ongoing, he eventually reconsidered and refused to approve a deal with the Red Sox, who, unlike the Cardinals, expect to contend in 2026.
Wilson Contreras trades grades: Red Sox finally get their big bat, Cardinals continue to destroy veterans
R.J. Anderson
The deal would put Boston's payroll in the same range as last year, meaning the Red Sox would have to either raise the payroll or terminate the contract(s) to bring back the third baseman. Alex Bregman.
Contreras, who is entering his age 34 season, is a former catcher who will likely be a first baseman and DH for the Red Sox, as he did for the Cardinals in 2025. He gives Boston a needed mid-level right-handed bat and is a good fit at Fenway Park given his above-average fastball speed. Contreras is having another productive season:
The 2025 numbers were good for a 123 OPS+ and 2.5 WAR in 135 games. Contreras continues to back up his strong offensive game with equally impressive save numbers. All this suggests that he will most likely continue to perform at a high level for the time being. For his career, the three-time All-Star has an OPS+ of 118 and a WAR of 29.2 in parts of 10. Major League Baseball seasons. Over the same period, he averaged 26 home runs and 31 doubles in 162 games played. Defensively, Contreras put up a strong showing last season, his first as a starting first baseman.
Dobbins, 26, had a 4.13 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 61 innings in 2025, his first season in the majors. A knee injury ended his season in July, although he is expected to be ready for spring training. MLB pipeline ranked Fajardo 23rd in Boston's system, calling him a “potential starter.” Aita had no rating. He and Fajardo both pitched in Single-A in 2025.
Boston went 87-73 in 2025 and made the postseason for the first time since 2021. They were knocked out by their opponent. New York Yankees in the Wild Card series.
