"I think we needed that (losing early)," Contreras said after he was finished hitting. "We tried to do our best but it didn't work out...This was my first offseason having October off. It was really weird for me. I was really uncomfortable at first."
This year is really a reckoning in a lot of ways," Team president Theo Epstein said during the winter. "We do have a lot to prove."
One thing to watch at spring training for all 30 teams From big names with something to prove to young stars to get to know, here's what you'll want to keep an eye on during spring training.
Way-too-early 2019 All-Stars: Machado and Harper to start for ...? We're still waiting for this winter's big free agents to sign, but that didn't stop us from predicting which uniforms they'll be wearing in the Midsummer Classic. Who else makes our star-studded squads?
The broken winter: Why baseball must fix free agency ASAP Days before spring training begins, the offseason's marquee name is adding suitors instead of making his way to camp with a new team. Here's what MLB must do to repair its busted hot stove. Epstein was referring to his team on the field, which, by the way, won 95 games last season. But that statement could apply to the off-the-field concerns as well. Can they navigate the possible return of shortstop Addison Russell, when his 40-game suspension is over in May? He would become the first prominent player to return to his old team after serving a significant suspension for violating baseball's domestic abuse policies.