The Boston Red Sox added a power bat in Willson Contreras after trading for him from the St. Louis Cardinals. Moreover, the Venezuela native isn’t a stranger to heated rivalries, having been part of the Cardinals-Chicago Cubs rivalry on both sides.
Now, Contreras will be part of the Red Sox’s rivalry with the New York Yankees. Contreras spoke with NESN and shared what he intends to bring to the rivalry against New York, revealing that whenever the Red Sox standout faced the Yankees, he had a different mindset.
“I think I’m looking forward to that,” Contreras said in a video posted by NESN on Jan. 14. “Whenever I played the Yankees with the Cubs or St. Louis, my mindset was different. I was like, we have to win. And now that we have to win, we have to play really good baseball.
“I know 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. 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.”
Red Sox Reportedly Add Ranger Suarez to Rotation
On Jan. 14, Boston added another Venezuelan player this offseason, signing free-agent Ranger Suarez. ESPN confirmed, citing a source, multiple reports that the Red Sox have agreed to a five-year, $130 million deal with the former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher.
During his eight seasons with the Phillies, Suarez had a 53-37 record with an ERA of 3.38, 705 strikeouts, and four saves in 187 appearances, per StatMuse . As a result, “Foul Territory” co-host Erik Kratz believes that the Red Sox have their No. 2 starter in the rotation.
“[At] the beginning of the offseason, [the Red Sox] were talking about, ‘We’re not looking for any [starting pitchers who are] threes and fours,’” Kratz said on the Jan. 14 edition of “Foul Territory.” “I think that’s where Sonny Gray , [Johan] Oviedo, that’s the route where they live. And [Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow is] a man of his word.
“They were going after one of these [top of the rotation starters]. Maybe [they’ll] come out and go after more than just Ranger. But to me, Ranger is a No. 2, and some people say he’s not a No. 2 during the regular season. That’s fine. He is definitely your No. 2 starter in the postseason to go with Garrett Crochet.”
Red Sox Are Better With Ranger Suarez Than Alex Bregman
Moreover, former MLB player Kevin Frandsen praised the Red Sox’s move to sign Suarez. Frandsen also notes that this move is bigger than keeping Alex Bregman , who left the Red Sox after one season as a free agent to sign with the Cubs.
“I feel like [the Red Sox] are set up so well, “ Frandsen said on Jan. 14 on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM . “Maybe I’m in the minority on this one. Them landing Ranger took him away from the Orioles as well. I think that helps, right? Or the possibility. I look at this, and I go, ‘Okay, them not landing Bregman, but landing Ranger Suarez, might have been a better fit for me.’
“… He has shown that he could pitch in Game 7s. He’s pitched great. But if you need, it’s still one of the coolest guys I’ve ever been around. So for 26 mil a year, too? I’m not going to sit there and say that it’s a huge steal, but it feels like it.”
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