Yankees Skipper Offers Blunt Assessment Of Red Sox’s Offseason

The Boston Red Sox got busy this offseason, and New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone took notice from afar.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow responded to the team’s third consecutive playoff miss with a progressive winter. Boston improved its bullpen, starting rotation and splurged on signing a premier free-agent infielder before the team reconvened for spring training. It’s thrown the Red Sox back into the premature contention circle and wasn’t the friendliest of sights in Boone’s eyes.

“I prefer them in that .500 area. I’m fine with that,” Boone said Monday, per The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham. “They’re always a tough opponent. It has that rivalry nature no matter what the two teams are going through.”

Boone added: “Getting Alex (Bregman) here recently, they look like they have a really formidable team. We talk about our division and how tough it is, I certainly feel that way sitting here right now. You can make a case for all five teams.”

New York is coming off a World Series appearance and three seasons in which Boston wasn’t a threat. The Red Sox hung around for a short-lived desperation bid at an American League wild-card spot in 2024, but it fell apart following MLB’s All-Star break. This time, the Yankees can’t overlook their archrival as Boston’s improvements, coupled with its slew of prospects on the horizon — Kristian Campbell, Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony — make the Red Sox scarier than they’ve been in recent years.

Boston went from a contention problem to an overflow-of-depth dilemma in a matter of a few months and it’s transformed the outside perception of the team.

The Red Sox aren’t to be underestimated as their issues have officially been addressed. Bullpen concerns prompted the team to sign flamethrower Aroldis Chapman and reassign Garrett Whitlock as a reliever. The starting rotation has been bolstered with Garrett Crochet, Walker Buehler and Patrick Sandoval joining Tanner Houck, Lucas Giolito — who didn’t pitch last season — and Brayan Bello. Plus, Bregman, coming off his first career Gold Glove Award-winning season, helps stabilize the infield’s defense.

Every box that needed to be checked off on the agenda was checked off.

Crochet unofficially debuted with the team Sunday, Bregman’s already gone yard and the spirits are high, both in Boston’s locker room and among the fan base. All that’s left is for the team to reward Breslow’s efforts with a season that’ll truly give Boone and the Yankees problems in the coming months.

New York, even after losing outfield superstar Juan Soto in free agency, also got to work. The Yankees signed pitcher Max Fried to an eight-year, $218 million contract and 2022 National League MVP Paul Goldschmidt to a one-year contract. They also traded for two-time All-Star outfielder Cody Bellinger.

Both Boston and New York’s offseasons should, at the very least, keep the rivalry and division interesting this upcoming season.

“I think it’s really good for the game when the two of us are really good,” Boone said.

The Red Sox and Yankees will meet for the first time in the regular season on June 6, squaring off for a three-game series in the Bronx.