Willson Contreras Already Showing One Reason Red Sox Made Cardinals Trade

Few guys have the ability to do what Contreras just did

Feb 22, 2026; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras (40) hits a sacrifice RBI during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at JetBlue Park at Fenway South. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

There's no such thing as a hitter who is truly ballpark proof, but Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras isn't too far off.

One of the trademarks of a good right-handed power hitter is being able to hit the ball out of the park to right-center field, and that's a feat that's particularly tough at Fenway Park. But Contreras showed he has easily enough power to befriend the bullpens at Fenway with his very first Red Sox home run on Tuesday.

Willson Contreras’ first home run in a Red Sox uniform! pic.twitter.com/xGvCUHZ42s

— Red Sox (@RedSox) February 24, 2026

This blast from Contreras traveled 385 feet, and although it happened in Florida, not Boston, its 106 mph exit velocity sure suggests it would have gotten out on most days in the Northeast. It was just one homer in a 16-7 spring training loss, but it also seemed like a sign of things to come.

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Contreras' rare opposite field power should play

Feb 17, 2026; Lee County, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras (40) poses for a photo during media day at JetBlue Park. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

If that Contreras homer looked familiar, it's because he did something similar against Red Sox righty Josh Winckowski in 2023 when the Cardinals came to Fenway Park and swept the Sox in 2023:

Fenway Park, la nueva casa de Willson Contreras. #DirtyWater | #ElExtrabase⚾️🇻🇪 pic.twitter.com/XLFBUDTqbI

— El Extrabase ⚾️ (@ElExtrabase) December 22, 2025

Going the opposite way is often a death sentence for righties at Fenway Park. Pulling the ball in the air leads to success, and at the teim of the Contreras trade, his air pull percentage was talked up as a reason for making the trade.

Per Statcast Search, just 10 home runs were hit to the opposite field by right-handed batters at Fenway last season, and the vast majority of them were Pesky Pole shots. There was one ball into the bullpen from Aaron Judge against Garrett Crochet, and a former Cardinals teammate of Contreras', Iván Herrera, went deep to right-center as well.

However, Contreras just might have the level of opposite-field pop needed to mitigate those concerns.

Contreras hit five of his 20 home runs last season to the right of dead center, and looking at his Baseball Savant spray chart, there's a real chance all five would have left the yard at Fenway. One was all the way out in the triangle and appears to be far enough beyond that 420-foot sign.

Call it another tool in Contreras' toolbox, and another reason it was smart for the Red Sox to grab him for the price tag they did.