Willson Contreras' role with his new team signals an unofficial end of an era

The St. Louis Cardinals' fire sale shows no signs of slowing down. Most recently, Chaim Bloom sent former Chicago Cubs star Willson Contreras to Boston in a trade that added a big bat to the Red Sox' lineup and gives the team an insurance policy if they whiff in their pursuit of a reunion with Alex Bregman.

Contreras, who turns 34 in May, spent the last three seasons in St. Louis after joining the Cubs' hated rival on the heels of the 2022 campaign. He was, more or less, a 3.0 bWAR player during that stretch and remains a solidly above-average bat (127 OPS+) and that's where the Red Sox see him bringing the most value: at the plate, not behind it.

Cubs fans surely remember that Contreras broke onto the big-league scene nearly a decade ago as a young backstop with a big arm. He cemented himself as Chicago's primary catcher soon thereafter and earned a trio of All-Star nods during his seven years on the North Side. But almost as soon as he joined the Cardinals, his defensive role became a hot topic of conversation and, last season, he didn't catch a single game for the first time in his 10-year MLB career.

Willson Contreras will be a full-time first baseman and DH in Boston

That shift to a full-time first base/DH role seems to be permanent, with Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow telling reporters their primary focus is keeping Contreras' bat in the lineup, not forcing him into starts behind the dish.

“We’ll have those conversations,” Breslow said. “But as of now, we see him primarily at first base, maybe some DH opportunities. But the more that we can get his bat in the lineup, the better off we’re going to be. And also, as a credit to him, he made that transition (from catcher to first base) pretty smoothly and even throughout the season last year, improved defensively and by some marks, was a well above-average defensive first baseman.”

Look, if Contreras keeps putting up big numbers with the bat, where he plays isn't a major concern for Boston. They acquired him for his offense and, as Breslow noted, the fact he's a solid defender at first is just a cherry on top for the club. With two years left on the five-year pact he signed with the Cardinals heading into 2023, it appears the Red Sox have their first base answer - at least for the short-term.