Red Sox's Willson Contreras Deal Looks Like Biggest Steal of 2026

The Boston Red Sox's acquisition of Willson Contreras from the St. Louis Cardinals this past offseason will go down as one of the organization's best moves in years.

First base has been a black hole for the Red Sox over the last few years because of the fact that Triston Casas has been unlucky and has dealt with serious injuries left and right. Casas hasn't played in a game yet this season and underwent left wrist surgery earlier in August, for example.

Because of the hole at first base, the Red Sox went out and got Contreras and cash from St. Louis in exchange for Hunter Dobbins, Yhoiker Fajardo, and Blake Aita. Dobbins is on the Injured List and has pitched in just 11 games in the majors. Fajardo and Aita are solid prospects, but wouldn't have moved the needle in Boston's system. Getting a superstar first baseman in Contreras was much more important.

Contreras has responded with the best season of his career so far. The 34-year-old earned his fourth All-Star nod this season and is slashing .285/.395/.538 with a .933 OPS, 26 home runs, 78 RBIs, and 21 doubles in 118 games played. If the season were to end today, Contreras would set new career highs in WAR (4.4), home runs (26), walks (55), batting average (.285), on-base percentage (.395), slugging percentage (.538), and OPS (.933).

The Red Sox Pulled Off An Incredible Move

Aug 17, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras (40) hits a home run against the Boston Red Sox in the fifth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's not hard to see that Contreras is having an incredible season. He's not just among the best overall first basemen in baseball, but one of the top overall offensive weapons across baseball this season. In fact, Contreras' .933 is actually the third-highest mark in the league, behind just Yordan Álvarez of the Houston Astros and Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

MLB OPS Leaders pic.twitter.com/Z8IBAb0uog
— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) August 23, 2026

Who saw that one coming? Contreras entered the season with a career .824 OPS. The highest mark of his career before the 2026 season came back in 2019 with the Chicago Cubs when he finished the campaign with a .888 OPS.

Contreras has given the Red Sox the stability at first base they have been missing for years. Fortunately, Contreras is going to be sticking around beyond the 2026 season as well. The veteran slugger is under contract in 2027 and he has a $20 million club option for the 2028 campaign as well.

For as much heat as Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow got early on in the 2026 season, this is a move that Boston fans should be praising left and right. There have been some wild boos from Boston fans for Contreras over the last few weeks. That should never happen. Contreras is the big right-handed bat Boston needed in the middle of the order and he has been a leader in the clubhouse. A masterclass by Boston.

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