MLB Expert Praises Red Sox After Trade For ‘Solid Hitter’ Willson Contreras
Contreras "has certainly been defined by his consistency"
The Boston Red Sox swung a blockbuster trade with the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday for the second time in less than one month.
After acquiring three-time All-Star starting pitcher Sonny Gray from the Cardinals in November, the Red Sox landed another three-time All-Star from St. Louis on Sunday night in first baseman Willson Contreras.
ESPN MLB expert David Schoenfield gave Boston a B+ for the acquisition of Gray and had similar praise for chief baseball officer Craig Breslow following the Contreras deal, giving the team a B for the move.
Sunday’s trade sent right-handed pitcher Hunter Dobbins and pitching prospects Blake Aita and Yhoiker Fajardo to the Cardinals.
“After pursuing and failing to land Pete Alonso, the Red Sox instead turn to Contreras, who has certainly been defined by his consistency, with OPS+ figures of 126, 123, 138 and 123 over the past four seasons, and a slugging percentage between .447 and .468,” Schoenfield wrote. “Overall, the Red Sox pick up a solid hitter while only giving up one player who was going to help in 2026, and even then, Dobbins was down the depth chart in the rotation.”
Contreras won a World Series title with the Chicago Cubs during his 2016 rookie season and earned NL All-Star honors with the club in 2018, 2019 and 2022. The 33-year-old spent the last three campaigns with St. Louis, finishing the 2025 season with 20 home runs and a career-high 80 RBIs.
