The St. Louis Cardinals are operating under a new head executive, as Chaim Bloom has taken over as the new president of baseball operations. Who did Chaim Bloom used to work for? The Boston Red Sox. The Cardinals and Red Sox have now linked up on two trades this offseason.
On Sunday, ESPN’s Jeff Passan broke the news that the Cardinals were sending away Willson Contreras to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for starter Hunter Dobbins and two prospects. The prospects are right-handers Yhoiker Fajardo and Blake Aita.
More MLB on Heavy: Braves Sign Former Yankees Pitcher to Major League Contract
What Does This Trade Mean for the Cardinals?
The St. Louis Cardinals are expecting a rebuild season in 2026. Many of their high-profile players have been linked to offseason trades. New executive Chaim Bloom is clearly in the market for making wholesale changes.
Bloom has already made a trade with the Red Sox this offseason, as Boston acquired Sonny Gray from St. Louis. That created a surplus of starters for the Red Sox, which led to trade speculation for the exact centerpiece of this deal, Hunter Dobbins. The Red Sox were sent $8 million to go towards his contract, so that means the Cardinals are covering the remaining $41.5 million over the next few seasons.
Dobbins made 11 starts in 2025, which was his first MLB action. He posted a 4.13 ERA over 61 innings and struck out 45 batters.
HeavyWillson Contreras is coming to Boston
Contreras had a no-trade clause, similar to Sonny Gray, but neither veteran opted to waive it to join the Red Sox. If the Cardinals are truly in a rebuild year, then Hunter Dobbins should get plenty of opportunities. Willson has only known the NL Central in his MLB career. Before joining the Cardinals in 2023, he played seven seasons with the Chicago Cubs, where he was named to two All-Star teams.
More MLB on Heavy: Yankees Re-Sign Former All-Star Starter to Low-Cost Deal
Willson Contreras’ Tenure With Cardinals Comes to an End
During the three years that he was a St. Louis Cardinal, Willson Contreras hit .261 with 55 home runs and an OPS+ of 127 over 344 games.
He is no longer a catcher, as it’s been reported that the Red Sox will use him at first base. However, the now 33-year-old used to be one of the best-hitting catchers in baseball. Contreras has six seasons with 20+ home runs.
The Boston Red Sox have been searching for a first baseman after Triston Casas went down with an injury, and this is the solution they’ve settled on.
What’s very interesting is the fact that Chaim Bloom is eager to trade away some of the Cardinals’ best assets to his former organization. Does this mean Nolan Arenado is going to be in Boston if the Red Sox lose Alex Bregman in free agency?
More MLB on Heavy: Mets Receive Bad News After Munetaka Murakami Decision
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Cardinals Trade Away $87 Million, 3-Time All-Star to Red Sox appeared first on Heavy Sports.