The Yankees and Red Sox Rivalry Heats Up

The rivalry between the Yankees and Red Sox is definitely still alive.

Recently, after Red Sox pitcher Sonny Gray referred to his former team as “easy to hate,” Boston’s new first baseman has jumped on the bandwagon, challenging the Yankees as well.

Willson Contreras, also recently acquired from the Cardinals, has made it clear that he’s not coming into this new role with any warm feelings towards the Yankees.

“Whenever I play for the Yankees, it’s a different mindset than with the Cubs or St. Louis,” Contreras mentioned to reporters on Wednesday.

“We have to win, we have to win… Sure, they have some really talented players, but I didn’t come to Boston just to like the Yankees, because that’s not going to happen.”

At 33, Contreras signed with the Red Sox in late December after the Mets had considered him as a possible replacement for Pete Alonso.

He’s a three-time All-Star who’s mostly played as a catcher and had a solid year offensively with St. Louis, appearing in 135 games with a .257 batting average, 20 home runs, and 80 RBIs.

His comments very much mirror what Gray has said. Gray had quite the rough time during his 18 months with the Yankees. There were reports he even “lied” to Yankees GM Brian Cashman about wanting to come to New York.

“It feels great to head to a place where it’s easy to hate the Yankees,” Gray expressed during his introductory press conference.

“Honestly, I never wanted to go there in the first place.”

Besides Gray and Contreras, the Red Sox also brought in starter Johan Oviedo from the Pirates this offseason.

On Wednesday, Boston inked a five-year, $130 million deal with All-Star left-hander Ranger Suarez, as first reported by Jon Heyman.

The Red Sox are still looking for an infielder after losing third baseman Alex Bregman to the Cubs in free agency.

They have shown interest in shortstop Bo Bichette, who is also on the Yankees’ radar and recently met with the Phillies.

Contreras mentioned he’d talk to his close friend, free agent third baseman Eugenio Suarez, about possibly joining him in Boston.

“I haven’t caught up with him in a few days,” Contreras said. “We’re good friends, really close. He’s a fantastic guy and an excellent hitter. But we’ll see what happens regarding him coming to Boston.”