The Boston Red Sox's first offensive reinforcement came in the form of veteran catcher/first baseman Willson Contreras. The former St. Louis Cardinal — Boston's only return in its third deal with them since the 2025 trade deadline — will reportedly split his time between first base and designated hitter this coming season.
In Contreras' first season as a full-time first baseman, he logged six outs above average and 91st percentile range. There's room for improvement, of course, but after years of almost exclusively catching, the position change could come easily to him.
Contreras is a clear defensive upgrade over Triston Casas (-10 OAA and second-percentile range in 2023) and Pete Alonso (-9 OAA, second-percentile range last season), a Red Sox free agent target.