Willson Contreras-Mariners Trade Idea Would Be Major Mistake for Red Sox

If the Boston Red Sox continue to play as they have over the last two weeks, the conversations around the club about potentially selling off pieces will surely die down.

Boston isn't at a place yet to completely shut down the noise. Boston has played well over the last two weeks, but still is nine games under .500 at 39-48. That's better than where the Red Sox were. Last week, the Red Sox were sitting at 14 games under .500 before sweeping the New York Yankees in a four-game series. Before that series, the Red Sox were 32-46. Since then, the Red Sox have gone 7-2.

Red Sox fans have been waiting for this type of life out of the organization. Now, the question is whether they can inch closer to .500.

If not, the noise is going to get even louder about the idea of trading stars away before the August trade deadline. A handful of names around the club have been speculated as trade chips already, including Willson Contreras, Sonny Gray, Aroldis Chapman, and more. The Red Sox have started to change the conversation about selling pieces, but not completely yet. For example, ESPN's David Schoenfield shared a column with players each team should trade for — or away — this summer. For the Red Sox, Schoenfield urged a sale. When it came to Contreras, he floated the idea of Boston sending him to the Seattle Mariners.

What Should Boston Do This Summer?

Jun 30, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz (20) and Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras (40) enter an altercation in the fourth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Jaiden Tripi-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"Seattle Mariners: Trade for Contreras," Schoenfield wrote. "The Mariners have a hole bigger than the crater atop Mount St. Helens: They can't hit left-handed pitching. Like, not 'bad against lefties' or 'they struggle against lefties,' but along the lines of 'one of the worst performances ever against lefties.' Seattle is hitting .208 and ranks last in OPS against southpaws. ... Contreras would provide a much-needed right-handed bat, displacing Rob Refsnyder and sharing DH/first-base duties with Josh Naylor."

Sure, the Mariners could use some more offense. But this move doesn't make a lot of sense for multiple reasons. First off, the Mariners signed first baseman Josh Naylor to a five-year, $92.5 million deal this past offseason. That's a lot of money to commit to a player to then turn around and try to acquire another first baseman who is in the fourth year of a five-year, $87.5 million deal with a sixth-year club option. He could be a DH, but he's one of the best overall defensive first basemen in baseball.

When it comes to Boston, there also is no reason to trade Contreras. Even if the Red Sox sell pieces, Contreras is signed for the 2027 season at just $17 million. Then, he has a $20 million 2028 club option. With prices around the league on the rise, this is a steal of a deal for someone as good as Contreras is. Boston needs more right-handed talent, not less.

The story of this upcoming offseason for Boston is going to be adding more offense. That's going to be difficult in itself. There's no reason to get rid of the team's best right-handed hitter right now, only to then go out this upcoming offseason and try to add someone just like him again.

All in all, this isn't the type of deal Boston needs to consider this summer.

Add us as a preferred source on Google