After ending the shortened 2020 season with a 24-36 record and a last-place finish in the American League East, the Red Sox were not a popular playoff pick entering the current campaign. Sure, the team reunited with World Series-winning manager Alex Cora, but its offseason was otherwise a fairly low-key one. The big-market Red Sox’s largest free-agent guarantee went to utility player Enrique Hernandez, who signed a two-year, $14MM guarantee, and they didn’t make any blockbuster acquisitions on the trade market. They also knew they would spend a sizable chunk of 2021 without left-handed ace Chris Sale, who isn’t quite 13 full months removed from Tommy John surgery.
With a forgettable 2020 and an understated winter in their rear-view mirror, the Red Sox began this season poorly with a three-game sweep at the hands of the lowly Orioles. At that very early point, it looked as if Boston might be in for another lean year, though the team has since done a 180. The Red Sox climbed out of their hole with a stunning nine straight victories, and while they have lost three of five since then, they’re still an impressive 11-6, atop the American League and 2 1/2 games up in the AL East. They earned their latest victory Monday in an 11-4 drubbing of the White Sox and ace Lucas Giolito, whom they chased in the second inning after pummeling him for eight runs over one-plus frame.
The Red Sox have been a well-rounded outfit during their sizzling start, as their offense and pitching have combined to give the club the AL’s top run differential (plus-28). As of this writing, the Red Sox are second in the majors in wRC+ and third in runs scored, owing largely to their three best hitters (J.D. Martinez, Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts) and solid complementary performances from Alex Verdugo, Christian Vazquez and Christian Arroyo. Meanwhile, Nathan Eovaldi has carried their Sale-less rotation, and their bullpen has received great work from the likes of Matt Barnes, Matt Andriese, Phillips Valdez and Rule 5 pick Garrett Whitlock, among others. Between its starters and relievers, Boston owns a respectable 3.70 ERA/3.89 SIERA.
The rest of the AL East hasn’t looked nearly as sharp as the Red Sox to this point. The Rays, the defending division champions and pennant winners, are in second at 8-8. The injury-riddled Blue Jays are 7-9, as are the Orioles, though Toronto is far more likely than Baltimore to threaten Boston over a 162-game schedule. And then there’s the last-place Yankees, who have done seemingly nothing right during a surprising 5-10 start.
In most cases, it’s much too soon to crown a club or write one off, but the Red Sox have looked like the class of their division thus far. Do you think they’re good enough to hang in the AL race the rest of the way?
(Poll link for app users)
Sox just had an interesting series against the Red Sox. In my opinion, if they have healthy pitching, they are a legit AL East contender. Tough division but with their offense anything is possible
Offense, I agree. But pitching? I don’t see it happening…but who knows? They play well and make a trade or two?
I don’t see the Red Sox being buyers at the deadline since they are so close to the lux tax. Maybe they will if they are killing it and look a lock for the playoffs but I doubt that happens. My guess is this team will be in the mix for the wild card all the way this year but will probably miss out. They are a better team then a lot of the naysayers have said but probably a year away from really competing. A lot of things have to go right for this team to win this year but the future certainly looks bright in Beantown.
If the team is close, the first move that will feel like the best trade will be the return of Chris Sale. Such won’t add salary or cost prospects. It’s still too early but every game won now counts the same as those earned In August and September.
And two AL East teams considered as contenders have SP issues like the Red Sox (Yanks, Jays), and that leaves Tampa. Red Sox offense gives them a puncher’s chance and they’ve received some contributions from the bullpen.
If the Red Sox are in it when Sale arrives they could be a serious factor. Nobody should sleep on the Red Sox. Not with that lineup.
It’s a marathon not a sprint so April 20th is hardly an indication of what the season will be. Lots of ifs need to happen for this to be a reality:
1 – If the Yankees can continue to suck
2 – If TB can continue to suck
3 – If the Blue Jays can’t stay healthy
4 – If guys like Richards, Eovaldi and Perez play above their skill level
5 – If Sale comes back and dominates again
6 – If Cora isn’t caught cheating some new way
7 – If hitters not named JD, Bogey and Devers can stay above their norm
8 – If the relievers can stay above their norms
9 – If nobody gets COVID
10 – If E-Rod stays healthy and Verdugo’s back doesn’t act up
That’s just 10 big what-ifs that need to go the right way to even consider whether they are buyers at the deadline with the little they have left to use. Can they handle their first big losing streak that will eventually happen due to Cora mistakes? Can they keep Houck in the minors long enough to get him another year of control and stay competitive?
If that’s not enough, think about whether they can maintain a .500 record at home and keep winning 6 of 7 on the road. That’s how they have gotten to their current position. Is that sustainable? (to use Bloom’s favorite word) Not likely but the home percentage should go up a bit and the road should go down quite a bit bringing them back to the pack.
One thing is for certain. They will be able to avoid the Yankees until June and that should help with their confidence but it’s a freakish scheduling quirk that prevents them from playing the Yankees when they are down. By June, their world is likely to have turned around. That’s unfortunate!
It’s a long way to the point when being a buyer or seller at the deadline happens and great starts don’t always turn out to be great finishes but they could. If Cora keeps JD in the 3 hole and doesn’t repeat his stupidity in both 2018 and 2019 when the team was hot and he moved him to the 4 hole and a slump ensued. If other teams keep hitting the ball directly to Devers so he doesn’t lose his balance, mess up his footwork, throw erratically or simply miss the ball with his glove that will help a lot too.
It’s always better to start well but it’s not a sign of things to come, it’s only a milestone that can be checked off successfully.
They reset the lux tax last year, so they will spend if they are still competing midseason. With so much money already tied up in players in their prime, they aren’t gonna punt if a playoff spot is within sight. And they are anxious to remove the stench of two very bad seasons.
That’s a lot of negativity KD… Sox are a young team that are benefitting from more development time. Verdugo, Devers, Hernandez, Houck, Pivetta. They also creatively bought themselves a solid bullpen going international for Sawamura, what looks like stealing Whitlock, purchasing a solid vet in Ottavino. Barnes has stepped up who is in his prime. Bogaerts is now in his prime. Eovaldi adjusted his mentality to pitch to his strengths (albeit if he keeps chucking 98+ he’ll probably be hurt by June/July). But they also have some players waiting in the wings like Jarren Duran who looks like a solid regular, maybe lead off type with power and wheels – a more consistent Ellsbury. They’ve also got the 4 pick so the future is bright in Boston. Bad contracts will be coming off the books the next couple of years so they can afford to keep a new core together when they start to get closer to FA. 60 games 37% of a season and their pitching was HORRENDOUS last year. Bats stay hot, pitching has been solid with noted improvements, getting ERod back. Biggest difference this year is they have pitching depth. There will be bumps along the way but I think the Sox are legit this year. Slow start for the other teams in the division makes contention more likely.
I want to see that Groome kid stay healthy and develop too. People love Mata but I think he’s trade bait. It’s too bad he just got Tommy John. A team doesn’t need to make a splashy signing to be good. I think it was 2013 they went with signing Koji, Victorino, Napoli, Dempster and people were pissed they didn’t get Hamilton. Their biggest weakness last year was depth and they addressed it. Could still benefit from another arm but hey! Sale will back soonish. At that point I think they should go 6-man rotation with ERod and Sale alternating.
Stay healthy!
I said that all winter. The idea was to get under the cap, not stay under the cap. I assumed they stayed under during the winter because they were not sure if they could contend. If we were only going to be a .500 team, then why blow one year of that 3-on, 1-off cap cycling.
But if we are in 1st at the deadline, I’d be more than a little surprised if we didn’t blow thru the cap.
KD your list is quite something but I do agree that Devers time at third should be coming to an end just not for the reasons that you think. He is plenty athletic to play third and has the ability to play third but mentally he just makes to many mistakes. He can make plenty of spectacular plays where he doesn’t have time to think but you have to hold your breath every time a routine grinder is hit to him. Your Verdugo comment is ridiculous he doesn’t have a chronic back injury as a matter of fact he has never had a back injury before does that guarantee that he doesn’t have another back injury again I guess not but let’s not pretend he has a chronically injured back silly comment. Verdugo is a hell of a player and that at bat against Minnesota’s tough lefty tells you everything you want to know about Verdugo.
I don’t think the Red Sox other guys besides Bogey, Devers, JD, and yes Verdugo are really hitting above their heads. Some maybe a little others well below so let’s call that a wash. The Red Sox are going to be a very good offensive team the entire year.
I would argue that the starters of the Red Sox with the exception of Eddie and Eovaldi have pretty much underachieved. I would also argue that Eovaldi isn’t pitching over his head this is a guy with control that throws high 90’s with 3 other effective secondaries that he also can spot. If anything I would argue that he has underachieved previously mostly due to injuries so as long as he stays healthy I see a very capable number 2. He is legit when healthy.
The Red Sox offense will score runs so guys like Perez who hasn’t pitched over his head and Pivetta just need to keep them in the game. Richards is the interesting one because clearly he has nasty stuff so he has the ability to become a solid pitcher again as long as he can find the strike zone. He seems to be searching maybe he has been injured so much in his career that you just can’t count on him but if he stays healthy then he will figure it out I’m guessing.
The reality this is most likely a far better team then then the 75 win team you predicted in another article. Is it likely the Yankees are going to play better yes it is likely. The Rays are already playing better and the Blue Jays were always a question due to pitching. Is it likely the Red Sox make the playoffs probably not but they will compete this year and will be better then you and lot of guys like you thought they would be.
Bruin1012
He is plenty athletic to play third and has the ability to play third
===================================================
He made a play about a week ago, diving to his left, rolling and flipping the ball to 2nd simultaneously, and the 2B almost turned the DP. had the runner been even a half-step slower, it would’ve ranked as about the best DP of my life.
I guess that is the sad part about it. His fielding ceiling is about as high as anyone in the league. And his fielding floor is about as low as any in the league.
You don’t need everyone to suck and for no one to get COVID. Most of these you could say about every team but the Dodgers. They are the team to beat by far. They really just need their pitching to stay healthy and keep them in games. That’s actually what every team needs. The offense will be fine.
I agree with you Devers is plenty athletic it’s the routine ground ball boots and the routine throwing errors that will cost a lot of runs.
No true Red Sox fan can’t tell me that don’t hold there breath every time there is a ground ball to third towards Devers.
PoundsY24 – The horrid farm system as everyone has declared it is continuing to produce just like it did the last decade when people mocked it for not having enough top 100 guys. It just had guys who graduated and contributed minus the high ranking. I agree what DD left was a bright future and Bloom has added a couple of players who might contribute down the road.
My laundry list of things to consider wasn’t really addressed by you. The Yankees, Rays and Blue Jays all going to keep playing badly to give Boston the division crown? I don’t think so. It’s far more likely that many players will have career years than all three teams falling by the wayside.
It’s like I said, it’s too early to draw conclusions. This is a good time to quietly pocket the wins and stay under the radar so none of the better teams get fired up to catch the Red Sox. It’s like a break away by an unknown rider in long bike races. The pack expects to reel in the break away but often they don’t notice them until it’s too late. Boston needs to keep their head down and not become the center of attention. The A’s are helping them right now by stealing the limelight.
Optimism is good but cockiness at this point in the season is unwarranted. The Red Sox fans need to keep perspective. A ten game losing streak is just as likely as a 10 game winning streak right now.
Not just the offense. People underestimate just how bad Boston’s pitching was last year and how much better it is this year. After Eovaldi and Perez last year they had a bunch of guys who had no business starting games for a major league team. They currently don’t have a legitimate ace until Sale gets back, but having competent starters vs the dreck they ran out last year makes them a lot better, and definitely close to every other team in their division.
People are forgetting that Sale is already going to be the big Deadline Acquisition for them this year.
The offense is elite and they have a deeper rotation than anyone in the east. Houck and Whitlock are on reserve and Andriese can give you 4 innings in a pinch.
The bullpen is lights out too, Barnes has the best curveball of his career so far and Darwinson finally isn’t getting killed by his walks (still too many). Only Ottovino has looked subpar so far. This team is up there with the top of the AL.
The offense is “elite” cuz a few guys are hot right now. This is not a playoff team. A great organization headed in a good direction, but this isn’t their year
Sorry SoxRewl. I just wrote the same thing.
I wouldn’t count on a lot from Chris Sale this year. He isn’t even throwing off the mound yet. Even if he does come back at some point this year I highly doubt it’s vintage Sale and they will be very careful with him. It’s much more likely that Sale will be a big addition to the 2022 team.
Bruin1012 – Sale needs to be left alone to get back in his groove. They need to stand down and let him pitch “his way” not their way. His entire life before Boston was a success story. There is good reason why he’s fallen off the table in Boston. He’s a team guy who won’t tell bad coaches to pound sand and let him do what he’s done so well for two decades.
14 months has been the average time elite pitchers have been out and usually the first two months back have ups and downs. At 16 months, most of the elite pitchers have regained their original stuff. Let’s hope Sale follows the established pattern.
Like I said KD Sale hasn’t even thrown off the mound yet. Severino has been throwing off the mound for a month and half now and he isn’t expected back till mid-season or later. He is also younger so let’s say we won’t see Sale until at least 3 months probably 4 months when he starts throwing off the mound so my guess is best case mid August but most likely mid September and he will be on strict pitch counts. Like I said I wouldn’t count on vintage Sale until 2022.
Bruin1012 – Don’t sweat that Severino is ahead of Sale. He had his surgery 5 weeks before Sale. My concern is the ineptitude of the Red Sox pitching program. Will his down time be greater than Severino’s? Lets hope not. Will Sale stay on the normal 14 month schedule, lets hope so.
I looked up other recovery times and it’s key when the surgery happened. For example deGrom had his in the fall and took off the entire next year and was ready to to for spring training. That’s ideal.
Examples of in-season TJ surgeries and their recovery times:
Jose Fernandez – surgery May 15, 2014, first start July 2, 2015
Stephen Strasburg – surgery Sep 3, 2010 first start Sep 6, 2011
Adam Wainwright – surgery Feb 28, 2011 first start Apr 7, 2012
Rich Hill – surgery Jun 9 2011, first start Apr 29, 2012
John Smoltz – surgery Mar 23 2000, first start May 17, 2001
Rich Hill recovered in 10 months. Strasburg in 12 months and Smoltz, Wainwright and Fernandez all took 14 months which is considered “normal”.
So to put things into perspective –
14 months means Severino April 27th and Sale May 31st.
Whether Sale is pitching off a mound or not he has roughly 6 weeks to recover and be on a normal recovery time table. If that doesn’t happen, someone better find out who screwed up his schedule and heads should roll. The Red Sox have mishandled Sale since he arrived so TJ recovery probably won’t be any different than their other screw-ups with regard to Sale.
Let’s hope they don’t tell him how to pitch too! Just hand him the ball a be quiet and watch a pitching artist do his thing.
While I continue to disagree with your assessment of the Red Sox, this is a well-done analysis. I’d be curious about your opinion of the difference between Hill at 10 months and say Smoltz at 14 months, That’s s decently wide variance.
50/50 split makes for serious “tastes great, less filling” vibes here…
Every team in the AL East is good but has pretty substantial holes.
Overall health and luck will play a huge part in which team ends up on top, outside of Baltimore and of the other teams have a decent chance of the peneant
What a time for the edit button to be removed. Pennant*
Never had an edit function on the iPad.
Not to get too bullish with it, but there are things about this team that remind me a lot of the ’13 champions. Each of those teams is coming off a pair of disappointing seasons (’11 and ’12; ’19 and ’20), welcoming a familiar face back as manager (John Farrell; Alex Cora), retaining a strong core in need of rebound years (Ortiz, Pedroia, Ellsbury; Martinez, Devers, Bogaerts), and augmenting that group with undersung but dynamic personalities in free agency (Napoli, Victorino, Gomes; Hernandez, Gonzalez, Ottavino). That team, too, was written off as a bunch of misfits before the 2013 season began. I’m not sure there’s quite as much talent on this roster, but that quiet never-say-die attitude rings a LOT of bells.
I remember starting the ‘13 season thinking they’d be reasonably competitive but not championship worthy with the mid level FA signings they made before the season. The moves they made this off season feel very similar to those moves they made that year which is why I think they are better then some might think.
I said the same thing weeks ago. Never expected the team to “steal” a title in 13. JDM will cool down but is certainly capable of carrying the team should they get to the playoffs also Papi.
That Boston could be a legit threat in the AL East is only surprising because the Yankees and Blue Jays were/are overrated this year. The Rays, too, to an extent though they’ll probably find a way to compete.
NYY is relying on too many players with significant injury risks, incluing many coming off of serious injuries. Similarly, the Blue Jays pitching was always a huge question mark that would limit their chances of success, and their early injuries aren’t helping their chances.
I’m a huge BoSox fan, I am impressed so far with their play. Cora has them firing on all clyinders. The real test will come when we play the likes of Houston, Anaheim, The Yankees and Toronto. So far so good. Do I think they win it all, no but can they make some noise sling the way yes!
I dunno, they’ve been pretty tested facing the Rays, Twins and Chisox so far. Those teams might be better than any of the ones you listed.
Wow, forgot about Chris Sale, he’s been out for so long. Wonder how he’s going to be when he gets back.
I would expect he will bounce back like all the other elite pitchers who have had Tommy John Surgery. I’m curious to know more about his surgery. Before Jose Fernandez tragically died he had TJ surgery and they used 3 ligaments instead of one in hopes of strengthening the elbow. I never heard any specific details of Sale’s surgery. Does anyone know if any special techniques were used since he’s like Fernandez, high velocity and hard breaking pitches as well.
I’m looking forward to seeing him pitch between Nate and Houck with E-Rod after them. What a great right-left-right-left sequence..
My guess is Sale will bounce back pretty well off of TJ surgery just not this year.
Most players don’t really come all the way back until the 2 year mark. I’m not saying Sale might not be in the minority but expecting much if anything out of Sale is very wishful thinking. I’m guessing we will see in 2022 a much more vintage Sale then any chance this year.
It’s still to early to decided if Sox are legit. But a part of me believes the Sox will fall off by June while Yankees, Rays, and possibly Blue Jays warm up. Those Jays, Rays, and Yanks will fight for the division. Who ever doesn’t win the division, will (or 2 teams in the ALEast) claim the WC. It will be hard for the Red Sox to maintain their level of success into August. I don’t think they have the team to accomplish that feat. But I was wrong before about other teams like Brewers in 2015. If parks can open at full capacity by the end of May, Red Sox may throw a few bones out to get a pitcher or two and a bat to help them against Toronto, NY and Tampa Bay. At this time, jury is still out.
You know, it’s really hard to say. I didn’t expect the Yankees to be behind the Orioles past the first few days of the season, yet here we are.
Just like the Royals and Mariners, the Red Sox stay atop their division won’t last long. They’ve played well so far but they’re not going to keep this pace with that pitching staff
And what other team in the AL East has a clearly better pitching staff?
The Yankees. They have a really good bullpen and a half decent rotation that includes a Gerrit Cole who is sliding right now, but we know how he can and should be
The NYY have a solid pen but after one great starter, who do they have? They’re praying two retreads will find themselves. That’s they’re key to success. Can still happen because it’s early but half decent is an over the top thought.
belongsinthehall = Cole is legit and Kluber will eventually be legit (he needs many more innings to return to form after his injury). But overall, the Yankees are typically imbalanced with better relievers than starters. This formula hasn’t worked in over a decade and yet Cashman still gets accolades for being brilliant. That’s always confused me. Doesn’t brilliance usually lead to rings? Maybe the young Steinbrenners don’t have the Ricky Bobby approach to baseball like their father did. They seem content to have a highly rated farm system and no rings but many top of the division finishes. To each his own.
I like a GM to have a burning desire to win rings like DD. And for all those prepared to say he destroyed the farm system, don’t! Houck, Dalbec, Duran and so many others will be graduating like the many that have over the last decade and that’s why a team has a farm system. Top prospects are great to have in your farm system but only if they turn into stars in the majors like Mookie, Bogey and Devers not like Espinoza and Swihart or even super slow developing players like Moncada and Kopech. The Yankees will stay under the threshold this year and go over by a lot in 2022. The issue in 2022 will be whether the Red Sox can capture sustainable success (if that actually happens) and can it be maintained against a young and improving Blue Jay team, a Rays team that seem to pull a rabbit out of a hat each year (Arozarena, Glasnow, Meadows to name a few) and a Baltimore team that continues to stock up on great young players like Toronto.
The marathon continues and the early positioning is favorable but we still have the back stretch, final turn and the Belmont long straight away to the finish and so much can happen it’s best to just smile at your horse placing them self near the front of the pack with clear ground ahead of them. (Sorry couldn’t help myself, it’s Kentucky Derby season)
Cole is clearly better than anyone currently in the Sox rotation, but after that they have a pile of question marks. They were counting on Kluber and Taillon having bounce back years, and so far neither has shown they are about to do that. Why should anyone assume they will just because they are on the team everyone thought would be better than they have been? Until they show they can return to form they should be viewed as what they’ve shown themselves to be so far. And that leaves NY no better off than the Sox currently are, except NY is now in a hole 5 games back of Boston. Bottom line is NY has as many “Ifs” about their season as Boston does. How those questions get resolved for each team will dictate their success or failure.
@Put
The Yankees have a really good bullpen and that’s it. Their rotation is Cole, Montgomery, Tallion coming off TJ surgery and Kluber who hasn’t pitched in 2 years.
The Rays have a much better staff all around and the Yankees bullpen is far better with their rotations are essentially a push right now
@Ronk325
What good does having the far better bullpen when they are out of gas in August?
If they are a treat, it’s only because the other teams in the division stink at the moment. Yankees or Bluejays winning that division.
Yankees beat the Blue Jays for No. 1
Boston is on the right track. They have some good young players with plenty of potential. Them or the Jays will be ruling that division in a year or 2. The Yankees on the other hand had their opportunity and relied too much on injury prone sluggers.
Never afraid of an unpopular take – for better or worse – I went with “Yes”. The top of their order was always going to be good. The complimentary hitters look pretty good too at the moment. The ex-Dodger contingent certainly had some promise & look like they will fulfill at least some of it.
Bullpen looks much better.
& – of course $%*#!! stole Whitlock which is certainly looking good: Right Now.
Elephant in the room – which as a Yankee fan I completely understand – is the starting rotation. But Sale is coming back. So they may cobble together a decent starting staff.
Finally: @Brady – baseball is better when the sox are good. That being acknowledged, not an easy post to publish. Just calling it like I see it…
Ducky Buckin Fent
Finally: @Brady – baseball is better when the sox are good.
===================================================================
Thanks. I had almost an identical discussion the other day. I had the same respect/hate relationship with The Boss. I hated him, as I am obligated to do, but he was good for baseball, and good for the Yankees. If he was still around, the entire executive suite for the Yankees would be empty today.
And I heard a conversation on the FAN this morning from a Yankee fan. He was complaining that the RS fired their last two GMs for going two consecutive seasons without a WSC. But Cashman goes 20 years with one WSC, and is still here.
It’s way early, and I am not even considering the idea that the NYY won’t win 90+. But at what point do you start throwing furniture?
Best rivalry in sports.
Bound to be lots of panic stricken Yankee fans at the moment. Loving our bullpen. This unit may not have quite the sizzle of some previous iterations of this core but early returns show it has a very good chance of being the deepest.
Lineup will come around. Too many good hitters not to.
The rotation…well, we wil see.
I think Cash is an excellent GM. In 22 years he has never presided over a losing team. His rosters have made the playoffs every year but save three. He’s put together multiple championship teams as well.
That’s a damn fine track record.
The furniture throwing phase shall never arrive at this house. Call me a bad fan. Maybe if I was actually on the Yanks? But my instructors at OCS were big on remaining calm under duress.
& – really – what’s the worst that could happen?
The Yanks’ll miss the postseason & I won’t have to worry about catching them play while I’m on my October sandhill crane & tundra swan trips to North Dakota. If that’s the worst thing that happens to me this year…well, that’s really not Too Bad, Brady.
The problem with the Yankee offense it gets exposed against good pitching. There is no question they will get a lot of runs been when they come against elite pitching teams there all or nothing approach gets exposed. If they are not hot they don’t manufacture runs and against good pitching that gets exposed. It’s amazing how many hot offenses go cold against really good pitching. I won’t be surprised if the Rays win the East they are a very good team with the best farm in baseball. They have so many arms in the minors if they injuries it’s just next man up mentality there. I think the Yankees will win a lot of games they are just too talented not to. I would be a little worried about Kluber and Tallion I admit I haven’t watched them much so maybe they have just been unlucky but the numbers aren’t good so far for either pitcher.
I see this argument a lot, @Bruin.
I don’t think I necessarily agree with it.
Home runs rates/game actually *increase* during the postseason. Good example from last year’s Mega-Playoffs. There were less than 5 occasions where the winning team hit less home runs than their opponent. Pretty good sample size, too.
Now.
The thinking is, that it’s easier to score off a long ball than it is to scratch a few consecutive hits off the (better) pitching we see in the fall.
Which does make sense.
So, I get were the Yanks are coming from.
It does make for some Ugly Baseball, though.
Can’t deny that.
Yet if I were tasked with assembling a ML lineup I would stuff it with TTO guys myself. & I feel we’ve just simply run out of pitching in the playoffs with this core as opposed to not having the “right” style of offense in the playoffs.
We’ll see on the Ray’s. I never know what to think about them.
On the actual topic: you guys look a lot more competitive than I’d thought you would.
But. I’m wrong about lots of stuff.
It’s way to early to look at any teams record. We need to see 50 games or even better a third of the season to get excited about records.
I believed that this team would be a .500 team or slightly better to start the season and I don’t see any reason to believe differently then that. They are fun to watch though. Verdugo’s at bat versus Rogers was one of the best at bats I have seen in a while. Verdugo is such a tough out in those situations he looks like a budding star to me. He seems to have the knack to concentrate just a little harder in the big moments.
It’s three years now for Verdugo, albeit in small sample sizes. He’s had an .817, .844, and .882 over the past three years. His bWAR/650 over those three years (and almost exactly 650 PAs) is 5.6. I think we got lucky a bit, because the LAD managed to get him 3 years of experience while only using up one year of service time.
Plus he’s an outstanding defensive outfielder in really any position out there right, center or left. The guy is an all around ball player and budding star.
Much like calling this a good season, calling Verdugo an outstanding defensive outfielder is premature. He’s had great moments and not so great moments. His path to the ball is being learned in Fenway and I think he’s better than last year but for me, he’s at best an above average defender with potential to improve.
His skill set doesn’t impress me as much as his attitude. He’s the polar opposite of Devers. He’s “upbeat for the sake of being upbeat”, not just because things are going well for him. He tries to do things to make the team win not to be considered a star. I love his attitude and he may have the greatest differential between talent and total package of any player on the team except maybe Sale, the ultimate team guy.
As much as I like Verdugo, I’m still chaffed that he wasn’t a quality SP. Pivetta and Houck may end up replacing the SP that should have been procured by Bloom but the Dodgers, Atlanta and San Diego all had deep pitching staffs in their minors and ALL wanted to win the NL very badly so a July deal would have gotten Boston a Top Prospect with higher upside than Verdugo. There are too many examples in the past that refute the idea that a January deal was the optimal time. Torres is a perfect example. The 3 NL teams may not have been equally desperate with the Cubs in 2016 but with 3 teams so close, I think a bidding war was inevitable.
Ducky Buckin Fent
Best rivalry in sports.
=========================================
Off-topic, but I am still incredibly annoyed that they split up the NY Rangers and Boston Bruins division 30-40 years ago. Those games were sports wars. Those guys would be glaring at each other during warmups, just waiting for any excuse to drop the gloves.
KD I know you don’t think much of advanced defensive metrics but they would say he is elite and there is absolutely no question at all his arm is elite and that’s not even up for discussion. He plays all three outfield positions at well above average and you throw in his unquestionably elite arm and he is one of the top defensive outfielders in the game.
I agree that defensive metrics can be inconsistent, but he has 19 DRS between 2019 & 2020, in only 1,178 IPs. Betts is about as good as it gets, and he has only 30 DRS in 1,714 IPs over the same period.
Even if you don’t love the quality of the stats, there is no denying that the stats are pretty awesome.
Agreed Joe and the eye test tells me he is a hell of a fielder as well.
My eye test says he’s learning how to play in Fenway. Too many wrong shoulder initial moves. Thinking back to watching both Mookie and Dwight Evans play right field, they understood which shoulder to turn when the ball came off the bat, I don’t believe Verdugo is there yet and no generalized stat will ever convince me that my eyes are wrong.
I think if he plays in Boston for several more years he will approach the abilities of the outstanding right fielders that preceded him. If you want to evaluate him in center field, it’s simply not fair since JBJ was the best of all time in CF for the Red Sox defensively. I doubt he’ll ever be as good as JBJ.
Mathematical formulas so misrepresent the real actions of the game that I truly believe anyone can prove anything using the formulas. My proof is one service had Devers as an above league average defender. That shows exactly how inconclusive averaging averages is when it comes to defining defensive skills.
Defense is binary, success or no success. Nobody should care if a guy ran 100 feet or 2 feet because in the end all that matters is whether the fielder caught the ball and threw successfully to get the batter out. It’s black and white and the new metrics try to add shades of grey that improve the binary results. It’s silly. When I played coaches thought quicker infielders were better but what proved out was fielders with less range, better hands and more accurate arms won baseball games. They may not have looked as spectacular but they helped their team win. That should be the focus not how spectacular you look in failing.
New metrics are nothing more than an extension of society. A me generation taking selfies prefers guys who can hit the ball the hardest, run the fastest and throw the ball the hardest. The Boomer generation cares about winning whether that’s by bunting, hitting to the opposite field or simply making contact to improve your team’s chances for winning. No acknowledgement for winning or team concepts are in the new evaluation criteria, just a ME framework for evaluation. It’s a team sport but metrics have changed the sport to an individual achievement sport just like Michael Jordan reversed the team concept in basketball from what Bird and Johnson established a decade earlier to one about the individual.
Self gratification not team winning is today’s focus. The new metrics try to assist in glorifying the wrong aspects of the game. I don’t care what anyone says, the binary action of defense leads to wins. If a player has great range and can’t field or throw as well, they should be on the bench letting the slower, less rangy guy support the pitching staff by making plays not just looking cool.
Now that I’m on a rant, I can’t believe they are considering moving the mound back because of strike outs. Somebody needs to smack Brian Kenny on the side of the head and tell him to promote players not swinging for the fences on every pitch and strike outs will drop back to the old norm. It’s the new ME generation concepts that are ruining the game. Try to help the team win by making contact!!! That way some nerd isn’t going to suggest moving the mound back and all the enormous ramifications that will cause to the game. God may not have suggested that the pitching distance be 60 feet 6 inches but he should have!!
At some point records will become meaningless if non-baseball people continue to change the game to grow the business. How can one compare home runs hit at 60 feet 6 inches to home runs hit at 62 feet 6 inches? Do baseball analysts comprehend their game? Ask yourself why there weren’t so many strikeouts in the past. It’s got NOTHING to do with tunneling pitches, it has to do with hitting philosophies. Teach hitters to make contact not swing for the fences and the mound can stay in the same place it’s been for a century. It’s as absurd as raising the baskets in basketball to lower scoring, making football field longer to lower scoring or shrinking the nets in hockey to lower scoring. Lowering strike outs so fans won’t be bored? How insane is that? Maybe fans should go to their senators and demand that hitters need to try to make contact with the ball rather than swing for the fences. If that happened, the MLB brain trust might not come up with these hair brained ideas!!!.
“just like Michael Jordan reversed the team concept in basketball from what Bird and Johnson established a decade earlier to one about the individual.”
=========================================================================
I would suggest that, sometimes, the best team-first concept is that the best player recognizes his teammates are often not up to his level of play. While B-ball coaches always emphasizing the extra pass are often right, they aren’t always right.
My rant originates from times on the court when I’ve seen good players pass up good shots. It cuts both ways, but sometimes there is a need to be selfish, for the good of the team.
I don’t see them reaching “favorite” status, but I don’t see why they couldn’t be in the playoff mix, and as we’ve seen once a team makes the playoffs it can make noise with steady pitching and timely hitting.
Sale might be the real key – if Boston can be a playoff contender before he returns and then he comes back and rounds into form, that would essentially be the same as a huge in-season trade. Plus, Sale had a history of being strong most of the season before falling off at the end, and as things set up he could be hitting his stride and fresh come playoff time, if his arm is in shape enough.
D’accord, @redsoxu –
Completely agree. I think they definitely have a puncher’s chance of hanging around the Wild Card race all summer. Which I really didn’t believe going into the season.
Nice to get off to a good start.
My grandfather used to say, “well begun is half done” (or was it the other way around? But: same thing.)
Starting pitching won’t hold up – Eduardo Rodriguez, three fours, and a five.
There’s no rotation in the east that’s above average. Jays, yanks and rays all have one really reliable/good SP and a bunch of question marks
Sale returns at some point this season
I picked them to be annoying though this year, better than Red Sox fans believed, so no surprise so far. I still have them finishing 4th.
2 Orioles insults in 1 article… about the Red Sox. Byrne hates the O’s.
Let’s pose another question: Do the Sox add payroll and deal prospects IF they appear a legitimate threat in order to make a run at it? I’d like to think so.
No. They won’t do it. You could probably throw Mookie in as proof they won’t
I’d say it is very likely they’d go over. Henry would be stupid to not throw money at the team, if we are still in 1st by the deadline. And Henry is not stupid.
I still say no, despite the slow start for all the purported good teams in the division. I do hope the Red Sox keep it interesting.
The Red Sox don’t have the pitching and they have a lot of injury risk types. They may be competitive. The smart play is move whatever contracts they have to free up money and balance out with the hitting over the next two years.
What AL East team has better pitching? Erod and Nasty Nate are both at least #2 pitchers and they have 4 others who can give 5-6 innings of major league average output. That is better than any other staff in the East and once they get Sale back the team only gets better.
Eovaldi is at least a #2? Hahahaha
That’s a good one
Did you see his numbers from last season? Have you seen him pitch this season? Yes at least #2. 72 innings in 13 starts with a 3.50ERA, 78K, 11BB, 130ERA+ and 3.16Fip. Those are almost Ace numbers.
Eovaldi’s a Yankee-killer, too, they’ve never known what to do with him. I think he’s one of those guys that’s a #2-3 when he’s healthy but is injured so often that people tend to write him off. Given that he’s now like four surgeries deep and basically a bionic man, the hope for the Sox has got to be that he’s incapable of further injuring himself since his arm is more machine than man at this point.
As to Sale returning, I’m not sure he’ll ever be the same as he was before surgery; he’ll help, when he comes back, but the notion that the Sox rotation will suddenly have an ace seems wrong to me.
“more machine than man at this point”
Haha, good one!
yes, but i dont think they are likely to win it.
We’re a few weeks into the season. Every team has hit streaks, every team (except maybe the Dodgers) hits the skids for a while. Let’s check back in August or so.
Hot streaks, not hit. Did the new mute button kill the edit option?
Too early to tell if the Red Sox are a legitimate favorite in AL, they could slipped away in the next couple weeks while Yankees and Rays make a chase to knock out the Red Sox from first place.
I don’t need the Sox to win the division, I would love for them to just be a wild card team. Either way, the Red Sox will be a fun team to watch.
I’m a Giants fan so I really don’t care how the AL East turns out, and I probably won’t pay too much attention to it, but I feel like the Red Sox won’t sustain this hot start. Congrats to them for coming out so hot, but I just don’t see it continuing. The Yankees started slow and I see them ending up somewhere in the top 3, of course, and most likely top 2. I’m not a huge fan of Toronto being in American leagues, so I’m definitely hoping they don’t end up too much of a threat, but I see them ending up No. 2 or 3. Baltimore ends up last and the Rays probably end up No. 4, as much as I hate to say it. The only way I see Tampa anything other than 4 is if the Red Sox go cold and end up taking No. 4 Boston probably ends up No. 3 or 4.
As a Red Sox fan you are greatly underestimating that Rays team.
Bruin1012, as a Sox fan by birth but a Rays fan by trade, I’d have to agree. My hot take is that the Yankees have underperformed so far, but not by as much as people think. Kluber and Taillon are question marks, they rely too much on the long ball, and many of their big sluggers come with a lot of injury risk; they’ve also been lucky in the bargain bin in past seasons. Murphy’s Law says they’re eventually going to run out of Voits, Tauchmans, and Urshelas that spring to life seemingly from nowhere.
Getting ERod back was a huge emotional lift. The fact that he looks like 2018 ERod is a huge bonus. J.D. is hitting the cover off the ball right now and if ge hits it seems like so does everyone else. It’s only April but i think we can be cautiously optimistic about this team being far better than anyone thought they would be
Rsox – Wouldn’t your rather have the 2019 E-Rod? He won a few more games thanks to great run support and so far that is happening in 2021 as well.
The 2018 Red Sox produced runs at such a high rate because they had 3 great hitters in Betts, JD and Bogey with Benny being a nice fourth. This year they have Devers, JD, Bogey with Verdugo being a nice fourth. It’s similar but the big difference is between Betts and Devers. The additional scoring opportunities created by Betts being on base 260 times a year is the only thing keeping the top four players from matching 2018. The rest of the team will need to maintain their hot start to mimic the remainder of the 2018 team. The success of the pitchers compared to 2018 is the other key factor. It’s a nice hot start but 2018 was a year when the word sustainable actually existed. Right now, sustainable is simply a marketing phrase and a hope of a new GM.
2021 Vasquez and Plaweki are vastly superior to 2018 Vasquez and Lyon. 2021 2021 Devers is better than 2018 Devers. 2021 second base is better than 2018 Pedroia. The offense should still be on par with 2018 and the pitching is vastly improved from last season. They could easily be contenders for the East.
Ellisburks – 20 games into a 162 games season the things you say are for the most part true but grossly distorted. Peddy? You mean Nunez. Vazquez now versus then and Leon vs Plawecki.
There is absolutely NO WAY this team is even close to the 2018 team in hitting. Why? NO MOOKIE. Also, remember in 2018 DD out smarted Cashman and picked up Pearce and Eovaldi over Lance Lynn, McCutchen and Voit. The stretch run was significantly impacted by DD’s choices compared to Cashman’s. Voit turned the corner a year later and has been an outstanding pick-up but he didn’t help in 2018 like he has since.
Betts, Benny, JD, Pearce, Bogaerts, Vazquez, Moreland, Nunez/Holt and JBJ in 2018 were far superior to the 2021 line-up. Also, Sale, Price, Porcello and later Eovaldi is way better than the pitchers starting in 2021. When Sale comes back, then they will be much more comparable from a pitching perspective.
Also, remember in 2018 Nunez had a good year. He split time at 2B and eventually replaced Devers at 3B in August when his errors were too much to bear. Eventually, Devers returned to 3B by late August but Devers in 2018 was both a butcher at 3B and a weak hitter. He is the one argument you can make that 2021 Devers is better than 2018 Devers. I completely agree with that statement.
You also discounted Leon’s contribution in 2018. Sandy came up with many clutch hits and did great when Vazquez was struggling. They complimented each other very well that year. In 2019, Leon fell off the table from a hitting perspective so maybe you are remembering that Leon not the 2018 Leon.
As far as easily being contenders in the East goes, time will tell but that’s like predicting a horse race as they round the first turn. So much can happen during the 5/6 of the season that remains and your horse does not have the skills of 3 of the other 4 in the division. They may luck out and play above their heads the entire year and make your prediction correct but it’s just as likely they will have a reality check and finish the year at a 65 win pace, at least until Sale gets back.
I think your memory of the 2018 season is a bit distorted. That was a more talented team that for the most part had career years. JD is off to a comparable start but Cora ruined his 2018 season moving him to the 4 hole. Same manager now so don’t be surprised by his stupidity. Bogey is playing better and is better than Bogey in 2018. Likewise Devers. Verdugo will need to match Benny’s 123 OPS+ and his 103 runs and 87 RBIs. Right now, after 20 games Verdugo is ahead of Benny’s pace but he’s started out hot, lets see if he can maintain it for 6 months like Benny.
Do you realize Verdugo has only played 70 games in a Red Sox uniform? That’s not a big enough sample size to predict what he will do in a 162 games season, especially with a history of back problems.
Being optimistic is great but keeping the optimism in perspective without distorting the huge year the Red Sox had in 2018 will reel in your comparison. This team IS NOT the 2018 Red Sox. They can’t match it in talent, they can’t match it in chemistry and they can’t match it defensively. Devers is still a crap 3B, Bogey is still Bogey on defense, there is a slight upgrade at 2B and a huge downgrade from Moreland at 1B, huge downgrade from Mookie to this year’s right fielder, a huge downgrade from JBJ to Verdugo and a downgrade from Benny to this year’s left field choices. THIS IS NOT THE 2018 Red Sox, it’s a shadow of that team with far less talent thanks to ownership and Bloom. The fact that they have started hot should give people optimism but lets not go crazy and claim they are comparable to the 2018 World Champion Boston Red Sox.
This year’s team has little or nothing to do with last year’s team AND this is a franchise that can go from last to World Champions in a year. However, you have to wonder if they’re a decent team playing well or a really good team playing well. There have been indications of the latter but the proof is 162 games. They had a bounce back win yesterday against a tough pitcher and they knocked him around pretty thoroughly. They have had games where their bullpen has been lights out for multiple innings. Their pitchers are throwing about as expected so far, no one has over performed BUT they have stayed healthy, which is critical. I think they are a better team than most think and yet I need to be convinced. I will say that I spent the entire 2018 season through the postseason questioning if they were “that good” and they won 108 games and shredded everyone in the postseason. So yes, they were that good. But I need to be convinced.
So getting excited because your team is doing well after 10% of its games, is like if your NFL team starts off 2-0, thinking you’re headed for the Super Bowl.
The Sox have looked good for a lot of reasons, most predominant being that the AL East just isn’t what it used to be. NY, TB, TOR all have major warts, as do the Sox. So it’s likely to be a “best of a poor lot” horse race.
At this point, I’d lean toward the Rays; the pitching machine still seems to be working. And I don’t see a Wild Card in the division. But July 30 (or whatever) will be very important. But again, whoever wins it, limps to the finish line.
So are you saying the AL East is the warts division in baseball?
LOL
Saying that because a team is terrible through the first 10%, it has major warts is the same as saying that because it’s great, it’s going to the WS. The Yankees and Jays are better than they’ve shown so far. The Red Sox are worse. I am not convinced (and never was, with their dependence on Kluber and Taillon to make up 40% of that rotation) that the Yankees will have the best record in the AL at season’s end, but I still expect them to take that division and have at least 95 wins.
At this point, I think complete uncertainty about the division is a fair assessment. Each team is dealing with different problems whereas the Red Sox are coasting along as if they have no mirror to look at to realize they aren’t the team that is performing so well so far.
The Yankees are trying to stay under the cap but at any moment can say the heck with that and spend $100M on a couple of new star players like they did last year. That action would change the Division outcome. If they don’t take actions that are extreme it’s likely they will get beat by at least the Rays.
The Rays do EVERYTHING with smoke and mirrors. Their core talent level is far less than the Yankees but they have a history of pushing the right button at the right time to have their team over-perform. In 2021, the same guys are there pushing the buttons so I expect them to lead the division most of the year.
The Blue Jays have far more talent than TB but it’s young and hasn’t learned how to win yet. Depending on whether that light goes on or not the Blue Jays are likely to finish 3rd but contend for the playoffs. If the Blue Jays suddenly figure out how to win, their talent level could give them the Division crown.
The Red Sox are playing over their heads right now. Will everyone have career years like in 2018? Maybe. Could the same atrocious play of 2020 suddenly creep in and take them back to below a 500 team, absolutely! Will the return of Sale be the biggest June/July move they could possibly think of? ABSOLUTELY. That’s why it’s critical for them to perform way over their heads until he returns. That is the ONE scenario where they stand a chance of making the playoffs.
Baltimore is improving but is still a year or two away from being a team with a 500 record. Don’t sleep on them in 2022 or 2023 but in 2021, only the Red Sox could steal their spot at the bottom of the division.
…they’ve played 17 games and some folks are ready to anoint them WS champions. It’s a statistical anomaly, just like many others around the league. There’s no reason the Mets offense – which many expected to be a beast – will score only a run or two a game, or that the Mariners – also sporting an 11-6 record – will win the AL West in five months while Houston, Oakland and Los Angeles languish.
Enjoy it while you can because the MLB landscape will look different once the postseason arrives.
I have a slightly different take.
The RS are not hot. What they are is healthy.
The RS issue was never talent. They easily have the talent to win 90+. They have a top-3 offense, and an above-average pitching staff. The risk that weighed down their projections is that Eovaldi, ERod, and Richards all projected for probably 120 innings.
This is the same for all thin teams (and we are thin). It is easy to start off hot, because we are healthy. But when injuries hit, imo, the Yankees superior depth is going to make a substantial difference.
cheaters gonna cheat
The pen has exceeded my expectations: Andriese, Whitlock, Sawamura and Barnes to close out games. Valdez, Ottavino, Darwinzon, Taylor and Brice early relief.
If the starters can keep them in games for 5-6 innings–I like their chances.
Toronto and Seattle at home should give us a better outlook. Keep up the good work.
Isn’t this this coach that was caught cheating for 2 separate teams and is now taking a team that tanked last year and putting up crazy offensive numbers? MMMM!!
Yeah, I didn’t actually watch the game where they torched Giolito, so I can’t comment on movement / placement of his changeup vs normal, but it seemed like everybody in that lineup knew when it was coming despite him usually hiding it well. My first thought was “Cora’s at it again.”
I watched the game and Giolito’s change was up it was very hittable and the Red Sox did. This was a case of Gio just not having a good change that day and Boston not missing.
On the Rundown they mentioned how his pitches were up and hittable and he looked uncomfortable. And on MLB Network they broke down his two starts vand said he got lucky against Cleveland in his first start and was bound to get lit up against a hot team like the Red Sox.
Didn’t watch the rundown but his changeup was very hittable it just wasn’t up to snuff and Boston hit it.
Giolito’s start might be an anomaly since it was a day game early in the season. Lots of pitchers struggle with day games and this one started very, very early compared to most 1 PM games.
Lamar Smith – the Rundown and MLB Network have many pitching experts with varying opinions. I find Smoltz to be the most willing to tell it like it is rather than sweeten the analysis or pound on a player. Smoltz will usually point out both good and bad based on his experience. Leiter, Plesac and others tend to base their opinions more on politics than performance. So take anything said in the media with a grain of salt.
Giolito will have great starts and bad starts. DeGrom even does. It happens all the time but the more experience the pitcher has the quicker the rebound. Giolito has been dominant since High School so I expect he will make adjustments and do great going forward.
That offense may be legit, but the pitching is too suspect for me to consider them a true threat.
The offense maybe legit? but the pitching is too suspect? So, what do you say about the Yankees and their all for not offense and suspect pitching? Do you think they can win the division? I think the Red Sox are legit wild card contenders.
Lamar Smith – You need to temper the optimism a bit. They are 6 – 1 on the road so far and have a two game lead on TB. I don’t think anyone believes the road record is sustainable. If they can sustain it through June, then I would be confident to say they have a chance for a playoff spot.
The test of a winning team is dealing with adversity. If injuries happen, how will they respond. The Yankees live with many injuries each year because they pay big bucks for injury prone super stars. As a result, for them to compete their depth has to be better than most. The Red Sox have a bunch of utility players and the jury is out on whether they can provide the same resiliency that the Yankee and Ray’s benches provide. If they can, everyone should be optimistic.
Until the injury bug hits, there is no way to tell if this group will step up or fall on their face. 2018 saw healthy players in JD, Bogey and Betts, the heart of their line-up. The Red Sox need JD, Devers and Bogey to stay healthy. Likewise, Verdugo needs to not have a back issue relapse and both Sale and E-Rod need to stay healthy. Nate too since he’s off to an excellent start. If Nate pitches like he has so far, his $17M contract isn’t as out of line as many think. Yes, he failed in one year of the contract but all it takes is good timing for the big contracts to all prove their value. Sale may come back and dominate. Bogey is earning his big money. Eovaldi so far is earning his money. And JD is proving to be a steal! That’s all fans can hope for when players are paid big salaries. If they perform to their contract, everyone should be happy..
In a month, if Boston is 2 games up or more then I think your optimism is validated. If they are in 4th or 5h, then maybe it was a bit premature.
I’m torn… no clue. The chemistry is there though.
One would have to define “legitimate threat”. I think they have already proven they are a “threat” to me a “threat”: is different than a “contender”
The real problem with the Yankees has not come up in this thread. Take a look at the stats: There are two hitters on the Yankees with a Plus .800 OPS, Judge and LeMahieu are just above .800. The Red Sox lineup is much better, and has been for two years because the Yankee hitters can’t get on base and can’t score once they do. The Red Sox again are tops in Runners in Scoring Position and Two-out hits. The Yankees are last in both. OPS is slugging plus on-base percentage, it’s very telling. Verdugo is high .800s. Devers has a .900 OPS. Xander also is over .900, and last time I checked, JD was well over 1.300 OPS. Vasquez is over .800. Even our 4th outfielder, Cordero, has a high OPS. The Sox still have one of the top run-scoring lineups in baseball.
It’s been a question of pitching, and we are very talented there, too. Eovaldi has done so well last year and this year and he is do for a breakout year. Eddy Rodriguez and Eovaldi will likely both win 15+ games. Perez will get 10 wins or so. Whitlock will soon be used as a starter, too, and he is lights out. Richards may or may not figure it out, he may be replaced by Houk or Sale, Pivetta will be .500 at least. I would take our bullpen over the Yankees too. The numbers are much better now, and will be good all season. Sawamura is great. Barnes has been great. All of them have shown they will be very solid, and soon they will be joined by Ryan Brazier and hopefully a rejuvenated Hector Rondon.
The Yankees have Cole, and that’s it. These Yankees remind me of the days when we had Pedro and then crappy starters from in the 2 through 5 slots. You can’t win that way. They will add if they are near the top, but that may never happen, and good pitchers can be hard to find at the deadline.
They should do another poll: A month or two months from now, which will happen – the Red Sox go cold and fall or the Yankees find their way and win 90 games? I’m more sure the Yankees will fail than I am that the Sox will succeed, but I’m feeling good about this team, they are fun to watch. Ever watch this Yankee team? Listen to N.Y. sports talk and you’ll hear all about it. It’s early, but the suckiness of the Yankees is clear. And the Sox clearly have one of the best lineups, and have had good pitching with more is on the way.
I wish the poll was more nuanced than a simple binary yes/no. I think the Sox have a shot at 90-95 wins, which might win the division or the WC. So yes, they’re a “threat.” But I don’t feel like they’ve proven the runaway favorite yet.