Willson Contreras didn’t waste much time making his feelings clear after the Red Sox’ Game 2 loss to the Yankees in the AL Wild Card Series. When Boston manager Chad Tracy made a quick move to the bullpen and watched it backfire, Contreras cut straight to the heart of his frustration: the game still has to be won by players in the biggest moments, not by the numbers alone.
“In every aspect of the game, we have to get better. That’s the bottom line.”
“It’s not enough when you have talent, or you have data, or computers that are telling you what to do. This is baseball. The data is here to help us...but you need experience and to bet on the guys to… pic.twitter.com/6W36pHyivr
Contreras has never been shy, and that has only become more obvious with time. He was that way back in the Cubs organization, and he stayed that way as his Chicago tenure wound down.
By the end, there were whispers that his resistance to data had created tension between him, the team and manager David Ross. He finished the 2022 season with the Cubs, then left for the Cardinals in a move that turned contentious before St.
Louis eventually traded him to Boston last winter.
The catcher kept the same message Wednesday night, saying the only part of the situation he can control is his own preparation and presence in the clubhouse.
“The only thing that I can control is my part of the game,” he said Wednesday night. “Come here to work 100 percent and be out there day in and day out, taking care of my body.
Create a good chemistry here with the guys. Support the guys.
That’s the only thing that we can do, besides that, making decisions about data, about all the stuff we cannot do anything about it. Like I said, it’s here to help us.
But at the end of the day, it’s not about data, it’s about executing the game plan.”
There’s no question data has become a massive part of the sport, and teams aren’t exactly eager to hear players dismiss it. Contreras would likely point to the career-best season he just put together as evidence that he knows how to handle his business. Still, as a catcher, his gripe here looks aimed squarely at pitching changes, especially with Boston choosing not to ride potential AL Cy Young finalist Sonny Gray in a win-or-go-home spot.
Instead, Tracy went to the bullpen, and the Yankees jumped on it quickly, just as they had in Game 1. For Contreras and the Red Sox, that meant an abrupt end to an uneven 2026 season and another round of questions about the divide between instinct and information heading into next year.
In Other News...
Cubs Lose Another Pitching Depth Option After Brief Uneven Stint
Corbin Martin is one of six minor league players who have elected free agency after finishing the season on outright assignments, a move that lets them reach the market earlier than the usual major league free-agent timeline. For the Cubs, it means another pitching depth name is on the move after a brief, uneven stint in the organization, a familiar kind of churn at this time of year as clubs sort through the back end of the roster.
Martin had been part of a group that included players with recent designation-for-assignment history and varying minor league resumes, underscoring how quickly those depth pieces can cycle through an organization. For Chicago, the timing matters because these are the kinds of arms teams often hope to keep around as insurance, but once a player chooses free agency, the Cubs have to look elsewhere for that same low-cost rotation and bullpen cushion. [Read more 🡒]
Ian Happ Just Sounded Like A Cub Saying Goodbye
Ian Happs recent comments carried the kind of weight that gets attention in Chicago, because they sounded like a player who understands the business side of the game and what free agency can mean for a longtime Cub. He spoke with appreciation for his time in the organization while also acknowledging that his run with the team may be nearing its end, which is not usually the tone of a player headed into an offseason of uncertainty.
Happ is set to hit free agency this winter, and there has been at least some indication he could be open to a team-friendly arrangement if it keeps him on the North Side. The Cubs, for their part, have had interest in bringing him back and could envision a platoon role, which leaves just enough room for a return, even if the conversation around it already feels a little like a goodbye. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Rotation Need Just Ran Into A Brutal Tarik Skubal Reality
The Cubs know the rotation could use another impact arm, but the market may be about to make that search a lot tougher. Tarik Skubal is expected to land at the top of the free-agent pitching class, with Jeff Passan reporting that his next deal could climb to a level that would reshape the entire market. For a Chicago team trying to balance ambition with roster-building realities, that kind of price tag immediately turns a dream fit into more of a luxury than a plan.
Chicago is not expected to seriously chase Skubal, and age is part of the reason the fit looks so difficult. Instead, the Cubs are more likely to keep working through other starting-pitcher options once free agency opens, hoping to find a deal that brings real rotation help without forcing them into the kind of bidding war that only a handful of clubs can afford. [Read more 🡒]