Former Red Sox Infielder Calls On Boston to Keep Willson Contreras

One thing that is true about the Boston Red Sox is that trade chatter around the team is loud at the moment, and not in a way that fans will love.

Because Boston is 12 games under .500, the buzz around the team certainly has shifted a bit from options the team should add if they buy, and options to sell if the struggles continue. Right now, the Red Sox are 29-41 on the season and are 5 1/2 games out of an American League Wild Card spot at this point. There are five teams ahead of the Red Sox in the standings on the outside looking in on a playoff spot. For the Red Sox to turn their season around, there's a lot of work to do, to say the least.

Because of the struggles, guys like Aroldis Chapman, Sonny Gray, Jarren Duran and even Willson Contreras have been floated as potential trade chips. When it comes to Chapman specifically, ESPN's Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel set the odds of him being moved to 90 percent on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, former Red Sox infielder and current broadcaster Lou Merloni weighed in on the club's struggles in an interview with Joey Copponi and Scott Neville on the ITM Podcast and of the guys who could be on the move, made it clear that he doesn't want to see Contreras get traded this summer.

Should The Red Sox Trade Willson Contreras?

"No, no. I’m not trading him,” Merloni told Joey Copponi and Scott Neville on the ITM Podcast. “He’s got a year left [in 2027] and a team option after that. This is a team that’s in desperate need of right-handed power-hitting guys. He fits in. You trade Willson Contreras, and now you’re going to go out and try to fill a Willson Contreras hole? You have enough holes. You have additions that you need. Do not create another one."

Arguably, this is exactly how the front office should be viewing Contreras right now. Think back over the last few seasons, first base was an issue for the franchise because Triston Casas suffered injuries. He's still on the shelf right now. Contreras has been a clear solution at a position of need for Boston.

He is slashing .295/.389/.556 with a .945 OPS, 16 homers, and 43 RBIs in 68 games played. He should be an All-Star this summer for the fourth time in his career. It has been talked about over and over how the Red Sox lack right-handed thump in the middle of the order. Contreras is that guy. Boston needs more, to say the least.

But that doesn't mean that Contreras should be on the way out of town this summer because he's under contract beyond the 2026 season. If the Red Sox got hasty and traded him, they would have even more ground to make up than they already do.

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