Red Sox Trading Willson Contreras? Here's Why They Shouldn't Dare

There's selling, and then there's a fire sale...

Jun 5, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras (40) hits a two run home run during the fifth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox absolutely should not trade Willson Contreras.

In reality, we shouldn't even be having this conversation. But last week, ESPN's Jeff Passan posited that Contreras could be a "popular target" at this year's deadline, and all the Red Sox have done since then has been to sink further into the cellar. Forget making the playoffs -- Boston just has to avoid finishing with the worst record in this year's American League.

But trading Contreras wouldn't be the move a smart team trying to build for the future would make. It would be the panic move to jumpstart a total teardown that needs to be more of a retool on the fly.

The math just isn't mathing. There was a realistic scenario before the season in which the Red Sox were acquiring Contreras for just the next two years. Because he has a club option for 2028, he's still under contract for two more years, so why move him now and give up the only sure thing the Sox have had at his position since that great two-month stretch Triston Casas had in 2023?

If the Red Sox were going to do any buying at this year's deadline, it was going to be for a big right-handed bat. Well, Contreras is not only that, but he was maybe the best one available this offseason. He's blown Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette, and Pete Alonso out of the water -- those were the three much more expensive alternatives many thought the Red Sox might sign.

Trade away your rentals who won't be here next year -- your Sonny Grays, your Aroldis Chapmans. Maybe even trade Jarren Duran, who doesn't fit perfectly with this roster when Roman Anthony is healthy, but is one of the only offensive threats when he isn't.

But Contreras is basically the only good thing the Red Sox have unlocked with their own identity this year. Trading him would be a dereliction of duty and a sign that this front office truly is rudderless, with or without Craig Breslow at the helm moving forward.