For the second time in as many months, the Red Sox swung a significant trade with the Cardinals on Sunday night.
After matching up on a deal that sent veteran starter Sonny Gray to Boston and pitchers Richard Fitts and Brandon Clarke to St. Louis in late November, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom connected yet again to close out the final weekend before Christmas.
As was first reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Red Sox acquired first baseman Willson Contreras and $8 million in cash considerations from the Cardinals for right-handers Hunter Dobbins, Yhoiker Fajardo, and Blake Aita.
This article will focus on the two prospects swapping teams in the deal: Fajardo and Aita.
Fajardo, who turned 19 in October, was ranked by Baseball America as Boston’s No. 9 prospect. The Venezuelan-born righty was acquired by the Red Sox from the White Sox for left-handed reliever Cam Booser exactly one year ago Sunday. He originally signed with Chicago for $400,000 as an international free agent in February 2024 and earned Dominican Summer League All-Star honors in his professional debut.
Fajardo undoubtedly took another step forward in his stateside debut this past season. In 19 outings (17 starts) between the Florida Complex League and Low-A Salem, he posted a 2.25 ERA (2.47 FIP) with 83 strikeouts to 27 walks over 72 innings in which opponents batted .204 against him. That includes a 2.98 ERA (2.50 FIP) in his final 13 starts (51 1/3 innings) after being promoted in June. He was named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week twice and the Carolina League Pitcher of the Month for August.
Among 96 Carolina League pitchers who threw at least 50 innings in 2025, Fajardo ranked third in FIP and swinging-strike rate (15.9 percent), ninth in strikeout rate (27.8 percent), 11th in strikeouts per nine innings (10.34) and xFIP (3.14), 15th in groundball rate (50 percent), 26th in ERA, 33rd in WHIP (1.23), 36th in walks per nine innings (3.51), 39th in walk rate (9.4 percent), and 41st in batting average against (.229), per FanGraphs.
Listed at a projectable 6-foot-3 and 181 pounds, Fajardo throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a high leg kick into his repeatable delivery. He operates with a four-pitch mix that includes a 93-96 mph two/four-seam fastball that can reach 97 mph, an 82-86 mph slider, and an 85-88 mph kick-changeup, as noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report.
Aita, meanwhile, was set to be ranked by Baseball America as Boston’s No. 26 prospect. The 22-year-old righty was selected by the Red Sox in the sixth round (177th overall) of the 2024 draft out of Kennesaw State and received an under-slot $300,000 signing bonus. He split his first full professional season between Salem and Greenville, posting a 3.98 ERA (4.10 FIP) with 99 strikeouts to 30 walks over 23 total outings (19 starts) spanning 115 1/3 innings in which opposing hitters batted .215 against him.
After taking home Carolina League Pitcher of the Week honors on two separate occasions early in the season, Aita was promoted to Greenville on June 10. From there, he closed out the 2025 campaign by forging a 3.78 ERA (4.61 FIP) with 54 strikeouts to 21 walks in 13 outings (10 starts) and 64 1/3 innings for the Drive. He held opponents in the hitter-friendly South Atlantic League to a .194 batting average.
Among 55 South Atlantic League pitchers who threw at least 60 innings in 2025, Aita notably ranked sixth in WHIP (1.03), 10th in batting average against, 16th in line-drive rate (19.8 percent), 19th in walks per nine innings (2.94), and 21st in walk rate (8.1 percent), per FanGraphs.
Known for his ability to spin the ball, Aita throws from a high-three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a high leg kick into his delivery. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the 6-foot-4, 215-pound hurler features a 92-95 mph fastball while also mixing in an 80-82 mph sweeper, an 86-89 mph cutter, and an 85-89 mph changeup into his arsenal.
(Picture of Willson Contreras: Matt Dirksen/Getty Images)
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