Willson Contreras: A (Very) Long Game in Boston

Even as the days go by, the Boston Red Sox's elimination continues to be the talk of the town. It wasn't pretty against the Yankees. Not at all! Some questionable calls were made, and those calls sparked a huge reaction from the players. 

As my colleague Sébastien Berrouard recently wrote, being pulled from the game after the opponent's second at-bat sparked Sonny Gray's anger—to the point where he questioned whether he'd remain with the team for next season.

Another player who reacted strongly to the situation was Willson Contreras. Twice, he made the “zip it” gesture over his mouth after his team's last game. 

The analytics department is also weighing in, and it's fully deserved. https://t.co/MjTTrWg4zF https://t.co/BYcKUUrBZQ

— Passion MLB (@passion_mlb) October 1, 2026

Speaking of Contreras, he questioned the overuse of advanced statistics in baseball games. Although he acknowledges that advanced data undeniably helps, in his view, winning requires experience and veterans. Was he taking a dig at his rookie manager, Chad Tracy? Was he speaking from personal experience, since he'll turn 35 next May and sees the young players coming up year after year?

In short, the first baseman clearly had a lot to say about the situation, as he had an end-of-season review meeting lasting over two hours with Red Sox front office executives on the subject.

Red Sox slugger Willson Contreras met for “over 2 hours” with Craig Breslow and Chad Tracy following his “computer” commenthttps://t.co/V8h7P7Fgbb

— Christopher Smith (@SmittyOnMLB) October 5, 2026

Chad Tracy says he's in full control of his decisions

Willson Contreras's remarks left a lasting impression. When asked by journalists and reporters whether the coaching staff and the analytics department had guided the decision to pull Gray from the game, Tracy replied that it was his call and nothing else. If he says so!

However, it's worth noting that Red Sox management didn't completely brush off Contreras' comments. If that had been the case, neither the player, the manager, the GM, nor the president would have taken so much time to discuss the situation. We should look at this in a positive light. Despite the frustrations, both the players and the front office care deeply about the team's success and are by no means indifferent. Communication is open and transparent within the Red Sox organization.

Whether we like it or not, advanced statistics play a huge role in sports in 2026—especially in baseball. It will be interesting to see if Contreras's public statement—in which he says he's happy in Boston—will have an impact on his team's philosophy next season.

• Max Fried for Game 3.

• Must-read.

Created by humans, assisted by AI.