Red Sox head of baseball operations Craig Breslow — after a long search for a hitter — landed the Venezuelan veteran Willson Contreras and cash in a trade with the Cardinals on Sunday night, sources told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. Contreras became the second Breslow acquisition this winter to waive an entire no-trade clause to move from St. Louis to Boston. Veteran right-hander Sonny Gray did the same last month.
According to MLB.com’s Ian Browne, Breslow is expected to continue trying to add bats even after acquiring Contreras.
Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic heard the same thing from a source, noting that re-signing Bregman “remains a priority” for Boston. Bregman remains without a team after opting out of his contract with the Redlegs in November.
Boston has been linked to a wide range of sluggers in addition to Bregman this offseason, both in free agency and on the trade market. The Red Sox reportedly showed interest in Kyle Schwarber, Pete Alonso, Jorge Polanco and Munetaka Murakami before each of them signed with other teams. Unsigned free agents who have been on their radar include Bo Bichette, Venezuelan Eugenio Suárez and Japanese star Kazuma Okamoto, whose negotiating period ends on January 4.
And according to other reports, the Red Sox have also discussed potential trades for Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte, Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan, Astros Mexican third baseman Isaac Paredes and Rangers shortstop Corey Seager.
The addition of Contreras also leaves questions about first baseman Triston Casas’ role moving forward. With Contreras in the club, Casas could join outfielder Jarren Durán among Boston’s trade candidates.
