SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 2: Willson Contreras #40 of the St. Louis Cardinals rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run in the sixth inning during a game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on April 2, 2024 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images)

On Sunday, the Boston Red Sox added a much-needed Right-Handed bat to their lineup by acquiring First Baseman Willson Contreras from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for Hunter Dobbins, Yhoiker Fajardo, and Blake Aita. Willson Contreras may not be the high-profile superstar the Boston Red Sox have been clamoring for this offseason, but the Boston Red Sox acquired an excellent ball player who instantly makes their team better for 2026.

“I just love the way he works… he’s a really good example for our young guys to look at as far as he prepares and comes ready to go every single day and never wants a day off.” Cardinals Manager Oli Marmol stated about his former player Willson Contreras.

Willson Contreras is the Perfect Fit for Fenway Park

Willson Contreras has steadily been a productive hitter throughout his career. In 2025, Contreras hit .257 with 20 home runs, 80 RBIs, and a .791 OPS. Solid but not outstanding offensive numbers from Contreras; however, his bat will certainly play at Fenway Park. The Boston Red Sox have a left-handed heavy lineup with Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Marcelo Mayer, and Masataka Yoshida, and desperately needed a Right-Handed bat to balance out the lineup and take advantage of Fenway’s favorable dimensions for Right-Handed Hitters. Over the last three seasons, Contreras has ranked in the 81st, 86th, and 63rd percentile in exit velocity and 81st (2x) and 83rd in Hard Hit Percentage. Over the last five seasons, Contreras has steadily increased his line drive rate: 

2021: 18.6% Line Drive 

2022: 20.3% Line Drive 

2023: 21.6% Line Drive 

2024: 23.9% Line Drive 

2025: 25.8% Line Drive 

Contreras’s ability to hit the ball in the air will play well at Fenway Park, especially as a right-handed hitter. Contreras’s 19.8% pulled air rate is above the MLB Average of 18.2% and would have been the second-highest total of any Red Sox Right-Handed Hitter in 2025, behind Alex Bregman’s 24.4%. The Green Monster is a right-handed hitter’s best friend at Fenway Park, and the Red Sox needed to acquire players who could take advantage of the monster, and they did in Willson Contreras. If Contreras, can continue to increase his line drive rate, his offensive numbers will benefit greatly from playing at Fenway Park.

Willson Contreras Provides Strong Defense

Boston utilized four first basemen in 2025 with Tristian Casas, Abraham Toro, Romy Gonzalez, and Nathaniel Lowe. None of which were particularly strong defenders, with Romy Gonzalez’s -1 Outs Above Average leading the team. This winter, Craig Breslow emphasized the need to improve Boston’s defense.

“I think we can talk about the different elements of the game, and say that we have to examine our defense, we led the league in errors, and that’s not good enough.” Craig Brelsow told the Athletics’ Jen McCaffrey earlier this offseason.” 

Contreras, 33, transitioned to first base in 2025 after spending the first nine seasons of his Major League career as a catcher. In his first full season at first base, Contreras posted 6 Outs Above Average, ranking fourth among qualified first basemen behind only Ty France, Matt Olson, and Carlos Santana. Willson Contreras’s presence on the Red Sox roster makes this team better both offensively and defensively, and there were not many players available this offseason who are capable of being a middle-of-the-order bat and a plus defender at the corner infield positions. In that regard, Willson Contreras may have been the best available First Baseman for the Red Sox in 2026.

The Boston Red Sox Acquired a Great Player for Little Cost

Hunter Dobbins, Yhoiker Fajardo, and Blake Aito went to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for Willson Contreras. Dobbins, 26, was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 8th Round of the 2021 Draft by former Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer and current Cardinals CBO Chaim Bloom. In thirteen starts in 2025, Dobbins proved he is a capable back-of-the-rotation starter at the Major League level, posting a 4.13 ERA in 61 innings. Unfortunately for Dobbins, he was passed on the depth chart by prospects Payton Tolle and Conelly Early after Dobbins tore his right ACL covering first base in July. It is also worth noting that Hunter Dobbins ranked 22nd in Whiff% and 14% in K%. The Red Sox have more valuable young pitchers in Connelly Early and Payton Tolle, who are younger and generate more swing-and-miss. Prospects Yhoiker Fajardo and Blake Aita showed promise, with Fajardo being ranked 8th by Sox Prospects at the time of the trade. Fajardo, 19, and Aita, 24, have yet to pitch above A ball in their careers. In exchange for the pitching prospects, St. Louis has sent $8 million in cash to Boston to cover Contreras’s remaining $ 42.5 million on his contract. According to Chris Cotillo of Mass Live, Willson Contreras will carry only a 17.25 CBT hit, meaning the Red Sox have the financial room to add another impact player, such as Alex Bregman or Bo Bichette, to their lineup.