Shortly after he signed with the Boston Red Sox, Sonny Gray embraced the organization's storied rivalry with the New York Yankees in a podcast appearance. Red Sox fans relished his criticism and jabs directed at New York a little extra because Gray donned a Yankees uniform from 2017-18.
Gray's former teammate, Willson Contreras, joined him in Boston shortly after his move from the St. Louis Cardinals — the Cards and the Sox have become frequent trade partners since the 2025 trade deadline, as Chaim Bloom has taken the reins in their front office (subscription required). Contreras must've seen how well beef with the Yankees endeared Gray to Red Sox fans, and he got in on the fun in an interview on January 14.
"I'm looking forward to [the rivalry]. Whenever I played the Yankees with the Cubs or St. Louis, my mindset was different. I was like 'we have to win, we have to win, we have to win,'" Contreras said. "...I'm not coming to Boston just to like the Yankees. That's not gonna happen. They're probably gonna start hating me when we play against each other."
The Yankees have a longstanding reputation around MLB as a tough opponent and as 'the team to beat' — their 27 titles (many of which came before many of their current players were born) are still the most of any team in baseball. According to him, Contreras has embraced New York as a special matchup even before his time with the Red Sox.
Willson Contreras embraces Red Sox-Yankees rivalry just as Sonny Gray did weeks before him
Willson Contreras was asked about joining The Rivalry™️...
— NESN (@NESN) January 14, 2026
"I'm not coming to Boston just to like the Yankees. That's not gonna happen. They're probably gonna start hating me when we play against each other." 😈 🔥 pic.twitter.com/DjXPvs3uWO
Hopefully, his comment about the Yankees growing to hate him comes true. Boston recently traded away its biggest Yankee killer, Rafael Devers (he slashed .270/.348/.533 with a .880 OPS and 31 home runs over 119 appearances against New York in his career), and it could use another pain in their rivals' side. Brayan Bello and Masataka Yoshida have taken on some of that role, but Contreras' home run power could hit New York where it hurts.
Contreras has only played the Yankees seven times in his career and his offensive showings against them haven't been great. He's slashed only .074/.219/.074 with 10 strikeouts against them. He'll face them in four series in 2026, so he'll have plenty of chances to grow into the menace the Red Sox need him to be.