The St. Louis Cardinals were active on Sunday night with the report from Jeff Passan of ESPN that Willson Contreras and $8 million are being sent to the Boston Red Sox in return for three right-handed pitchers, Hunter Dobbins, Blake Aita, and Boston’s No. 23 prospect Yhoiker Fajardo.
Dobbins was the No. 27 prospect in the Red Sox system in 2024, according to MLB Pipeline, and made his major league debut in 2025. Dobbins started 11 games before tearing his ACL on July 11, covering first base on a ground ball. The 6’2” righty posted on his X account on Dec 11, “bullpens around the corner,” leading to hope his return is near the beginning of the season, if not opening day.
The new Cardinal right-hander touched 98.2 mph with his four-seam fastball, and averaged 95.5 on the pitch last season. Dobbins’ average fastball is faster than all of the Cardinals' starters from last season in the respective stat. While velocity does not fix everything, putting together a solid infield with an 78th percentile ground ball rate that the young pitcher is bringing over will certainly be a fantastic pairing.
Along with Dobbins, the Cardinals received two minor leaguers in return for Contreras. Aita is the lesser of the two prospects, with just one season of minor league experience after being selected in the sixth round of the 2024 MLB draft. The 22-year-old right-hander spent his college years at Kennesaw State University and posted a 3.90 ERA in 85.1 innings in his final season with the Owls.
Aita joined the Salem Red Sox in 2025 and, despite a 4.24 ERA in 51 innings, was moved up to the Greenville Drive in June. With a fastball in the 92-95 mph range and a sweeper that sits at 80-82 mph, according to SoxPorspects.com, the young right-hander has some promising upside to develop within the Cardinals system. He’s another lottery ticket that Chaim Bloom is bringing in as the Cardinals continue to try to bolster their farm system in hopes of contending down the line.
The final player in the deal was Fajardo, the 19-year-old righty, who has already been climbing prospect boards, and despite finishing the season as the No. 23 prospect for the Red Sox, was a likely candidate for a significant jump in the organization rankings in 2026.
Fajardo debuts on the Cardinals prospect rankings at No. 9, according to MLB Pipeline, making that two top 10 pitching prospects that the Cardinals have acquired this offseason from the Red Sox. With an ETA of 2029, Fajardo is not a short-term answer to the Cardinals' pitching woes, but instead a long-term asset for the future when the team hopes to be competitive again.
The Venezuelan right-hander has a fastball that averages 93-95 mph while his two-seam variant touches 96 mph and his four-seam gets to 97. Along with above average velocity, he also has a slider that sits in the low 80s with a tight spin, along with a sweeper that he is working on adding to his mix. Fajardo picked up a kick change that sits in the high-80s and could be the final piece to his arsenal that is already blowing away competition.
In 2025, Fajardo had a 2.25 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 72 innings pitched between rookie ball and A-ball. Not knocking on the door in 2026, but he is a fascinating asset for the future and likely could be a major player in the Cardinals' pitching staff in the future.
While no needle movers at the major league level have been added to the Cardinals roster, the offseason is beginning to shape the future that the organization envisions and their return to the top of the baseball world.