"Boston acquired Willson "Don't Forget The Second L" Contreras in late December from the St. Louis Cardinals, in exchange for SP Hunter Dobbins and pitching prospects Yhoiker Fajardo and Blake Aita. A catcher for the first nine years of his career with the Cubs and Cardinals, Contreras shifted to first base a year ago, playing 120 games at the position to go with 15 at designated hitter."
"Contreras is expected to provide a level of stability, both offensively and defensively, that the first base position has not had in years. Over the past six years, here is a list of the leaders in games played at first base. Note that only two of those six players have had a positive WAR on Baseball Reference."
"Fortunately, when he's been on the field, Contreras has been a model of consistency. The hope is that moving to first base will keep him available, as it did for most of last season. In his four seasons since turning 30, Contreras has had an OPS between .791 and .848 in each season, a wRC+ between 124 and 141 in each season, and between 20 and 22 home runs in the three full seasons that he played."
The Boston Red Sox acquired catcher-turned-first baseman Willson Contreras from the St. Louis Cardinals in late December, trading pitcher Hunter Dobbins and prospects Yhoiker Fajardo and Blake Aita. Contreras shifted to first base last season after nine years as a catcher, playing 120 games at the position. The acquisition addresses years of instability at first base, where only two of six position leaders achieved positive WAR since 2020. Contreras offers consistency, maintaining an OPS between .791 and .848 and 20-22 home runs annually in his post-30 seasons. The move to first base aims to keep him healthy and available, as injuries limited him to 84 games in 2024.
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