Red Sox Acquire Willson Contreras from Cardinals

Volume is Contreras’ main deterrent, whereas Alonso posts annually. However, a lot of the newest Red Sox’s time off came from a fractured left arm when J.D. Martinez hit him with a swing.

Where these two differ on the field, though, is the defensive side of the ball. While Contreras doesn’t have a ton of volume at the first base position, he netted 15 more Outs Above Average than Alonso in 2025. One thing Boston’s maintained a struggle for over the years is its infield defense; Contreras helps that immensely.

He’s also a major run producer coming off a career high for Pull Air rate. There’s been a gradual improvement in pulling the ball since Contreras got to St. Louis, coinciding somewhat with his positioning in the batter’s box.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Red Sox are expected to end their pursuit of Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte. With Alex Bregman and Bo Bichette still available, here’s a projected Red Sox lineup with Contreras in the fold:

The Red Sox also receive $8 million in this deal, which saw them send three more pitchers to St. Louis.

What Did the Cardinals Get?

Headlining the incoming for the Cardinals is right-hander Hunter Dobbins. The 26-year-old tore his ACL covering first base in July but showed a lot of promise in 61 MLB innings. He made 13 appearances, 11 starts, and had a 4.13 ERA, 3.87 FIP, and a 48.4% ground ball rate.

While he struggled missing bats, as well as pitching three times through the order, he proved himself worthy of a big-league roster spot.

Dobbins often found himself pitching nationally televised games as well, starting with a Sunday Night Baseball game in his MLB debut. He also made two starts on National TV against the New York Yankees. In those three starts, he combined for five earned runs in 16 innings of work, good for a 2.81 ERA.

The Cardinals also acquired right-handed pitching prospects Yhoiker Fajardo and Blake Aita. The former spent one year in the Red Sox organization, as he was the return from the Chicago White Sox for lefty reliever Cam Booser last winter.

Fajardo made 19 appearances between the Florida Complex League and A-Ball. In those outings, he struck out 28.8% of his opponents and walked just 9.4% of hitters. His fastball topped around 97 mph a season ago, but his secondaries are his bread and butter.

In fact, his fastball generated just a 12.9% whiff rate despite the velocity.

Completing the deal for St. Louis is Aita, who the Red Sox took in the sixth round of the 2024 Draft. He made 23 appearances between A-Ball and High-A, posting a 3.98 ERA and a 43.8% ground ball rate.

The right-hander is going into his age-23 season as a prospect and was projected to open the year in Double-A Portland. He’s not a strikeout specialist, but he had the best whiff rate on fastballs among the three pitchers going to the Cardinals in this deal.