Willson Contreras Injury: Headed to Boston

St. Louis traded Contreras (shoulder) to the Red Sox on Sunday for a package that includes pitcher Hunter Dobbins (knee), Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Contreras spent the past three seasons with St. Louis after beginning his career with seven campaigns as a Cub. He transitioned to first base full time last year, with all 120 of his appearances in the field coming at that position after he spent his first nine seasons primarily as a catcher. Contreras reportedly informed Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom in September that he was unwilling to waive his no-trade clause, but clearly the 33-year-old has since had a change of heart. He'll fill a considerable gap at first base for the Red Sox, as they lost Abraham Toro to free agency Friday and DFA'd Nathaniel Lowe in November, leaving only the oft-injured Triston Casas (knee) to compete for at-bats. Contreras' loss of catcher eligibility reduces his fantasy appeal considerably, but he showed in his final season in St. Louis that he can still be moderately productive, slashing .257/.344/.447 with 20 home runs, 80 RBI, 70 runs and five stolen bases over 562 plate appearances. He ended the campaign on the IL due to a right shoulder strain, though the injury isn't expected to impact his readiness for spring training.