Cardinals may have just gotten their perfect suitor to emerge for Willson Contreras

The Sonny Gray trade marked the beginning of what most St. Louis Cardinals fans expect to be a three-step plan in rebuilding the roster this offseason.

The other two prongs, of course, are Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras. Both veterans have two years remaining on their contracts (plus a 2028 team option for Contreras), and as right-handed power bats who can play the corner infield, their trade markets are expected to heat up once the top free-agent options at first and third base go off the board.

While Arenado waits for Alex Bregman to choose his next home, Contreras already saw Pete Alonso get a huge five-year deal from the Baltimore Orioles. Therefore, the Cardinals' first baseman is once again a frequent flyer in the rumor mill, and the most recent report actually attaches him to the very same team that acquired Sonny Gray: the Boston Red Sox.

Red Sox are, yet again, perfect trade partner for Cardinals and Willson Contreras

Just like when the Red Sox nabbed Gray for their rotation, there are a lot of obvious reasons to like the fit from both sides.

For one, Chaim Bloom previously ran the Red Sox before taking over the Cardinals' front office, and has intimate familiarity with a lot of their farm system and young major league players. He peculiarly didn't target any of them in the Gray trade — 2024 draft pick Brandon Clarke was the primary return — but it shouldn't be a difficult task for Bloom to find a few players he likes in exchange for Contreras.

Likewise, the Red Sox need a first baseman in the worst way, and particularly one who can hit right-handed and take aim at the Green Monster. Contreras, who hit .257/.344/.447 with 20 home runs in 2025, certainly fits the bill. He's posted a wRC+ above 124 in each of his three years with the Redbirds, and he even totaled six Outs Above Average with the glove at first base this past season.

If, like the Gray deal, the Cardinals are willing to take on a little bit of Contreras' remaining salary ($36.5 million over the next two years), a deal should come together quickly here if both sides are motivated.

It's been speculated to some degree that the Cardinals would want to keep Contreras as a veteran leader and mentor in the locker room in 2026, though insofar as they can get real value for him without having to eat too much salary, that was always a pipe dream.

The Red Sox have the young pitching to entice the Cardinals, and Contreras has the right-handed power and veteran résumé to entice the Sox. Nothing is ever guaranteed in baseball, but it's hard to imagine a better fit on paper.