By Rob Rains
The pipeline between St. Louis and Boston was flowing again on Sunday night.
For the second time this winter, the Cardinals swung a trade with the Red Sox, sending first baseman Willson Contreras and cash to the Red Sox for righthanded pitcher Hunter Dobbins and prospects.
The deal was first reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN.
All three of the Cardinals’ major-league transactions since the end of the season have involved the Red Sox. In November they traded Sonny Gray to Boston and last week signed free agent Dustin May, who finished last season with the Red Sox.
Contreras, like Gray, agreed to waive the no-trade clause in his contract to go to Boston. He has two years remaining on his contract, plus a team option for the 2028 season.
It was not immediately known how much of the remaining contract the Cardinals have agreed to pay.
The departure of Contreras, who led the Cardinals with 20 home runs and 80 RBIs in 2025, leaves Alec Burleson as the likely regular first baseman for 2026.
Dobbins, 26, made his major-league debut for the Red Sox in 2025 in a game against the Cardinals on April 6, allowing two runs over five innings. He pitched in 13 games for the Red Sox, 11 of them starts, but his season ended in July when he tore his ACL on a play covering first base.
Dobbins is a native of Texas and played at Texas Tech before he was selected by Boston in the eighth round of the 2021 draft.
Multiple media outlets reported righthanded pitchers Yholker Fajardo and Blake Aita are the minor-leaguers going to St. Louis in the deal. Fajardo is 19 and Aita is 22. Fajardo was the ninth-ranked prospect in the Red Sox farm system by Baseball America.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
Follow Rob Rains on X @RobRains
Photo by The Associated Press