Citizen Contreras

It has been a big couple of days for Jose Contreras, and his worry-free bullpen session on Thursday probably ranked second to Wednesday’s events back in Tampa. Contreras became a United States citizen.

“I feel very grateful the country gave me the opportunity to be a baseball player and everything that I dreamed about,” said Contreras through translator and bench coach Joey Cora. “I felt honored to have the blue passport.”

Alexei Ramirez also has returned home to Florida for a few days to put his citizenship process in motion. It might take up to two years before it becomes official.