Willson Contreras lands a dig at the Yankees ahead of his first season with the Red Sox

Boston Red Sox

“I’m not coming to Boston just to like the Yankees, because that’s not going to happen.”

The Red Sox traded for Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras earlier this offseason to add some right-handed pop to the lineup and a veteran presence in the clubhouse.

But, the former World Series champion should also bring some fire to a Red Sox team looking to reassert itself as a contender in the American League moving forward.

“I consider myself to be a winner, to be a gamer,” Contreras said Wednesday while speaking to reporters via Zoom. “I think Boston has a lot of good things around the team. … If you play against me and you don’t like me, that’s fine with me, but at some point if we play together you’re going to love me. I play to win, I don’t play to mess around, I don’t play to make friends on other teams.”

Contreras’ intensity and desire to win should make him a popular figure in Boston — and a thorn in the side of the Red Sox’ top rival moving forward.

“The Yankees are a really good team and they have good players, but I’m not coming to Boston just to like the Yankees, because that’s not going to happen,” Contreras said. “They’re probably going to start hating me whenever we play against each other, but I’m going to play with fire, I’m going to play with emotions and show them that we can win.”

The Red Sox clearly value what Contreras brings to a team, given that they parted with Hunter Dobbins and pitching prospects Yhoiker Fajardo and Blake Aita to pry the 33-year-old infielder out of St. Louis.

But Contreras, who had to waive his no-trade clause to complete the trade to Boston, also harbors an affinity for his new team. 

“I think it’s really a dream coming true for any player, any Latin player that grew up watching Boston, watching Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Tim Wakefield, Curt Schilling. At this point in my career, I was really surprised about this move,” he said.

Contreras should be a key cog in the middle of Boston’s lineup, with Alex Cora noting at Boston’s Fenway Fest event on Saturday that he envisions the veteran serving as the team’s cleanup hitter. 

“Willson’s going to bring a lot,” Cora told MassLive’s Sean McAdam. “He hits the ball hard. It’s a good at-bat. He drives the ball to right-center, but last year, he pulled the ball a little more than usual, which is awesome for us.”

Contreras — who batted .257 with 20 home runs and 80 RBI last season — should be poised to dole out plenty of damage batting in the No. 4 spot in Boston’s order. 

“I think it’s a fun spot,” Contreras said of batting cleanup. “It has a lot of responsibility. But I know probably the guy behind me is gonna have my back. The same as the guy in front of me, I’m gonna try to have his back.”

 

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.