BOSTON -- The Red Sox didn’t just get a run producer and a new first baseman in Willson Contreras.
As everyone will see first-hand in a matter of weeks, the club has landed a fireball of energy and emotion.
That is his way. Always has been. And don’t expect Contreras to change as he blends in with the team that acquired him from the Cardinals four days before Christmas.
“I play like this because I feel like I get better like that. And whenever I tried to hide my emotions or be somebody else, I'm a different player,” Contreras said. “If you play against me and you don’t like me, that’s fine, but at some point, if we play together, you're gonna love me. I play to win. I don't play to mess around. I don't play to make friends on other teams. That's the way I play, and I'm going to keep showing my emotions.”
That type of attitude should particularly endear Contreras to Red Sox fans for those rivalry games against the Yankees.
“The rivalry, I’m looking forward to that. When I was with the Cubs and St. Louis, whenever we played the Yankees, my mindset was different,” Contreras said. “I was like, ‘We have to win, we have to win, we have to win, and not only do 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.”
While Contreras had a no-trade clause with the Cardinals, the reason he was so quick to waive it was that desire to win.
Contreras got a taste of winning in the most dramatic way possible in his rookie year with the Cubs. In fact, he started nine of the club’s 17 postseason games in that epic fall of 2016, which ended with the Cubbies winning their first World Series since 1908.
The last four Octobers have felt empty for Contreras, because his teams didn’t make it. The Red Sox were high on his list when he was a free agent prior to the '23 season, but he wound up going to the Cardinals instead.
What drew him to Boston when he was weighing his options three winters ago?
“Boston has a history of a winning team and I consider myself to be a winner, to be a gamer. I think Boston has a lot of good things around the team, the fanbase, Fenway Park, and the team that is already built,” Contreras said. “I think everything about Boston is something to appreciate and that was one of my choices. But like I said, it didn't work out that time. We're in 2026 right now, and we're focused on getting back on the field and trying to try to win.”
The former catcher looks forward to his second full season as a first baseman, where he was solid last year but expects improved results in '26.
“I think every year is a new opportunity to keep getting better, and every day is a new opportunity to keep getting better,” said Contreras. “If you don’t want to keep getting better, I think you need to get away from the game. But this is a game of challenges. It’s a game of failure, and you’re going to have to deal with failure and challenges, and I’m here for that."
While the Red Sox are still trying to add another hitter following Alex Bregman’s decision to sign with the Cubs, manager Alex Cora indicated that Contreras will be his cleanup hitter.
“I think it's a fun spot,” Contreras said. “It has a lot of responsibility. I think we have a really good lineup. I don't know what other plans that the GM or the owners have. I think that's a good question for them. But like I said, I go to work with my teammates. If they're going to add, they're going to add, But I’m just going to work. I'm just going to work with them and try to win the World Series.”