Willson Contreras hoped the Red Sox would be interested when he became a free agent before the 2023 season. But president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom had other priorities at the time.
Contreras instead agreed to a five-year contract with the Cardinals that included a full no-trade clause. It came in handy.
The Red Sox fired Bloom late in the ’23 season, and he landed with the Cardinals as an adviser a few months later. He became president of baseball operations in September, charged with rebuilding the team and reducing payroll.
Bloom traded righthander Sonny Gray to the Red Sox in November. That led to discussions about Contreras, and he was traded to the Sox on Dec. 22.
“I think it’s really a dream coming true for any Latin player that grew watching Boston and watching Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Tim Wakefield, [and] Curt Schilling,” Contreras said Wednesday in his first public comments since the trade.
“At this point in my career I was really surprised about this move.”
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The Red Sox sent the Cardinals righthander Hunter Dobbins and two pitching prospects. The Sox received $8 million toward the $42.5 million remaining on Contreras’s contract through 2027.
Contreras picked up an additional $1 million for waiving the no-trade clause. As much as he wanted to go to the Red Sox, business is business.
The 33-year-old had a .791 OPS, 20 home runs, and 80 RBIs over 135 games last season. Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Saturday his plan was to bat Contreras cleanup.
The Cardinals used Contreras only as a first baseman and designated hitter last season. He was primarily a catcher through 2024, but didn’t catch last season after he proved adept at playing first.
“[The Red Sox] haven’t talked to me about catching at all. But if the team needs it down the road and we have an emergency for a day or two whatever, I’ll do it because I’m a team player first,” Contreras said.
Contreras has played only eight games at Fenway Park and hit .194. But his righthanded swing and power should be a good fit.
“I think it’s a tricky ballpark because that Green Monster is really close,” he said. “So any line drive that hits the Monster, you have to think double and get out of the box really hard. I’m looking forward to play there, just because of the team and the fans.”
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Contreras is close friends with free agent third baseman Eugenio Suárez, who hit 49 home runs last season.
“We’ll see what we can do about him coming to Boston,” Contreras said.
Contreras is hopeful of playing for his native Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic during spring training. He is working through an insurance issue that is likely tied to his ending the season on the injured list with a right biceps strain.
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