With their first move to bolster the lineup this offseason, the Boston Red Sox added a versatile right-handed power hitter in Willson Contreras, who will split time between first base and designated hitter, a league source told The Athletic.
The Red Sox had been in talks with the St. Louis Cardinals for weeks about Contreras, but the deal accelerated over the last 48 hours, a league source noted, as the Red Sox sent three pitchers, including Hunter Dobbins and two prospects, to the Cardinals in the move.
The Red Sox are still pursuing another bat to add to their lineup, a second league source confirmed, and re-signing Alex Bregman remains a priority. However, that task has become more difficult in recent days as Bregman’s market is heating up with Arizona and now Toronto in the mix.
If Bregman signs with Toronto, the Red Sox figure to push harder for free-agent infielder Bo Bichette with the intent of playing him at second base. The Red Sox are also in the mix for free agent third baseman Eugenio Suárez and have shown interest in Houston’s Isaac Paredes and Arizona’s Ketel Marte.
At the Winter Meetings, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow repeatedly noted a desire to add power. The Red Sox made an offer to slugger Pete Alonso that was lower in years and money than the Baltimore Orioles’ offer. Alonso signed with Baltimore for five years and $155 million.
Though Contreras doesn’t possess the same pure power as Alonso, he’s a reliable, above-average hitter, posting 123 OPS+ or better each of the last three years.
Contreras spent the majority of last season hitting fourth for the Cardinals and figures to slot into a similar middle-of-the-order spot for the Red Sox, breaking up the left-handed heavy lineup. At the moment, the lineup is set to feature a mix of lefties Jarren Duran and Roman Anthony, and righties Trevor Story and Contreras within the top four spots.
In addition to needing power, Breslow noted a desire for the lineup to hit better with two outs and runners in scoring position. The Red Sox routinely failed in such situations last season, hitting .224, below the .232 league average. Contreras, however, excels in those spots, hitting .344 with a .977 OPS in 71 plate appearances last year, driving in 33 runs.
Defensively, Contreras transitioned to a full-time first baseman for the time last season and performed very well with six Outs Above Average, fourth-highest among MLB first basemen. The Red Sox’s infield defense has been among the worst in the league the last three seasons, and adding a strong defensive infielder should strengthen the group. Though Contreras is expected to split time between first base and DH, given his 10 years of experience as a big-league catcher, he’ll be an asset for catchers Carlos Narváez and Connor Wong.
The move also allows the Red Sox to ease first baseman Triston Casas into action, a league source noted. Casas is working his way back from a ruptured patellar tendon, and while he’s on pace in his workouts, the Red Sox are hesitant to label him the Opening Day first baseman given the severity of the injury. Casas, a lefty, could DH with Contreras at first or vice versa, but Casas also has minor-league options and could begin the year at Triple A. The Red Sox will also have to figure out what this means for designated hitter Masataka Yoshida and how he fits the roster.
The Contreras trade fits a pattern that has emerged for the Red Sox, particularly this offseason, as Breslow has traded surplus minor-leaguers to benefit the big-league roster.
In trading Dobbins, Breslow chipped away at the backend starting depth to fill an area of need. Dobbins debuted last season for the Red Sox and pitched well at the start of the year before tearing his ACL. Although Dobbins is expected to be ready for spring training, the Red Sox have added enough to their rotation that he faced tough competition for a big-league role.
In November, Breslow added veteran starter Sonny Gray in a trade with St. Louis for pitchers Richard Fitts and Brandon Clarke. Similar to Dobbins, Fitts offered solid starts for the Red Sox last year, but he, too, had been pushed to a depth role.
In acquiring starter Johan Oviedo, the Red Sox sent top outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia and minor-league pitcher Jesus Travieso to Pittsburgh. The Red Sox already have four major-league outfielders, leaving little room on the roster for Garcia. The Red Sox also acquired left-handed reliever Tyler Samaniego in that deal, and he figures to be in the mix for a major-league bullpen spot.
And last week, Breslow made a unique prospect trade, sending one of the club’s top prospects, Luis Perales, to Washington for pitching prospect Jake Bennett. Though both have recently undergone Tommy John surgery, Bennett is further removed and, after posting a 2.27 ERA in 19 games (18 starts) last season, has shown he’s ready for the majors, while Perales has made only a handful of appearances since returning and is still working on command.
The Contreras move gives the Red Sox a piece that’s been missing on their roster, but Breslow is far from done in rounding out a team to compete in the increasingly difficult American League East picture.