What experts said of Red Sox deal

The Pink Sox added an intriguing bat to their lineup on Sunday, acquiring three-time All-Star Wilson Contreras in a commerce with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Boston gave up starter Hunter Dobbins and a pair of youthful minor-league arms in Yhoiker Fajardo and Blake Aita to be able to purchase the 33-year-old Contreras, who is anticipated so as to add some pop to Boston’s lineup whereas enjoying sound protection at first base.

Given the Pink Sox’s evident want for a plus bat — particularly within the infield — Boston obtained some excessive marks this week by MLB writers when it got here to grading this take care of Chaim Bloom and the Cardinals. 

Right here’s what a number of baseball scribes stated of Craig Breslow’s newest transfer.

ESPN

Grade: B

ESPN’s David Schoenfield gave Boston a optimistic grade for addressing an space of want at first base — particularly at a decrease price than what it will take to signal a free agent like Pete Alonso.

Whereas Alonso signed a five-year, $155 million contract with the Orioles earlier this month, Contreras is underneath contract for the subsequent two seasons at $36.5 million — with Boston additionally holding a $17.5 million membership choice for the 2028 marketing campaign.

“Contreras seems like a secure guess, however there are some warning indicators right here. He’s coming into his age-34 season, in that hazard zone, and he’s coming off a career-low 7.8% stroll charge whereas additionally seeing his strikeout charge enhance the previous two seasons,” Schoenfield wrote. “However the bat pace (ninety fifth percentile) and hard-hit charge (83rd percentile) stay sturdy, so although he shouldn’t fall off a cliff, his finest days are most likely behind him.”

“Total, the Pink Sox decide up a stable hitter whereas solely giving up one participant who was going to assist in 2026, and even then, Dobbins was down the depth chart within the rotation,” he added.

The Athletic

Grade: A

Chad Jennings of The Athletic handed Boston a excessive grade for bringing in a plus bat and stable defender in Contreras, whereas additionally giving the Cardinals an A- for recouping belongings and including extra younger expertise to the group forward of an anticipated rebuild underneath Bloom’s watch.

“That is the second time the Cardinals and Pink Sox have matched up this winter, and as soon as once more, it’s a deal that makes lots of sense for both sides,” Jennings wrote. “The Pink Sox get the right-handed energy bat they’ve wished and wanted for some time now — not one which performs second or third, however first base wasn’t precisely settled both — and the Cardinals get one other younger beginning pitcher to throw instantly into their rotation, plus a few greater upside arms for down the highway. 

“Contreras isn’t a 30-homer man, however he’s had a minimum of a 123 OPS+ every of the previous 4 seasons, and he tends to tug the ball within the air, which may play effectively at Fenway Park,” Jennings added. “He additionally graded as a robust defender in his first full season at first base. He’s an excellent match for a staff that desires to enhance its infield protection and leans left-handed within the lineup.”

Sports activities Illustrated 

Grade: B-

Despite the fact that SI’s Ryan Phillips famous that Contreras will seemingly change Triston Casas as Boston’s on a regular basis first baseman, he added that Contreras alone gained’t stand because the influence bat wanted to repair a Pink Sox lineup that sputtered down the stretch.

“Contreras is a stable right-handed bat, however isn’t a WAR machine. In 2025, he slashed .257/.344/.447 with 20 house runs, 80 RBIs, and a wRC+ of 124. He posted 2.8 fWAR,” Phillips wrote. “His peak season got here in 2022 with the Cubs, the place he slashed .243/.349/.466 with 22 homers, 55 RBIs, and a wRC+ of 134. …  He’s coming off a biceps damage that ended his 2025 marketing campaign and has had numerous accidents all through his profession which have restricted the previous catcher’s availability.

“Ultimately, he’s an excellent, confirmed right-handed bat, however Boston might need to take care of his poor protection at first base and the truth that he tends to overlook lots of video games,” Phillips added. “It’s a stable pickup however far beneath the place they aimed toward first base to open the offseason.”

Phillips’ commentary on Contreras’ poor play at first base is a bit unusual. 

Final 12 months, Contreras ranked fourth amongst gamers at first base with six Outs Above Common. Alonso — considered as a tempting free-agent add for the Pink Sox at first base this winter — posted a -9 Outs Above Common in 2025.

FanSided

Grade: B

Contreras might not boast the 40-homer potential that Alonso wields. However he has clubbed 20 or extra house runs in six of his 9 full seasons in MLB, not counting the COVID-shortened 2020 marketing campaign. 

After Boston scored simply six complete runs in its three-game playoff sequence in opposition to the Yankees final October, FanSided’s Chris Landers believes that Contreras represents a stable improve for Boston at first base.

“Contreras didn’t come free, however he additionally didn’t price Boston greater than it may afford to lose,” Landers wrote. “He’s nonetheless an excellent hitter, one who ought to benefit from the pleasant confines of Fenway Park, and he reveals little signal of slowing down coming into his age-34 season. 

“There’s danger right here, to make sure — he’s an getting old righty first baseman, in any case, and the Sox are nonetheless on the hook for $16 million a 12 months or so in 2026 and 2027 — and extra work must be achieved for this offense to be adequate to win a World Sequence. However Contreras helps in a manner this staff positively wanted, and Dobbins, whereas helpful, didn’t have a transparent function on subsequent 12 months’s staff.”

CBS Sports activities

Grade: A

CBS Sports activities’ R.J. Anderson gave Boston a excessive mark for not solely including a stable hitter with spectacular underlying metrics in Contreras, but additionally avoiding a situation the place Breslow needed to half with a few of the prime prospects inside the Pink Sox’s farm system. 

“Usually, bat pace is without doubt one of the major issues for right-handed first baseman getting old into their mid-30s. That variable not solely impacts their slugging capability, but additionally their capability to maintain their strikeout charge in verify,” Anderson wrote. “Whereas Contreras swings and misses and punches out his fair proportion, it ought to be encouraging that he improved each his in-zone and general contact charges in 2025 — and did so with solely a slight discount in his swing charge.

“If nothing else, the Pink Sox had been capable of web an above-average stick on a brief, low cost settlement for extra of their pitching surplus with out touching anybody they’re prone to miss in 2026 (Payton Tolle or Connelly Early) or compromising different pursuits,” Anderson added. “This, then, looks as if one other nice swap each methods.”

 

Conor Ryan is a workers author overlaying the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Pink Sox for Boston.com, a job he has held since 2023.