Winter Meetings: Red Sox offseason gets intriguing with Gerrit Cole signing

With Gerrit Cole signing a 9-year deal with the Yankees, the Boston Red Sox have no chance to win the American League East in the 2020 season.

With Jon Heyman reporting that Gerrit Cole signed a 9-year, $324 million contract with the New York Yankees, the offseason just got a lot more complicated for the Boston Red Sox.

The Red Sox had a juggling act to do already headed into the offseason. With Chief of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom having to strike a balance between cutting payroll and improving the team, the Cole signing does not help. If he had to tight-rope this offseason, well now he has to do it during a blizzard while a grizzly bear is at the end of the rope.

As if the competition wasn’t getting more difficult in 2020 with the White Sox and Blue Jays bound to take serious steps forward, now the 103-win New York Yankees acquired a top-three pitcher in baseball. They will now be heavy favorites to win the World Series and are locks to win the AL East.

The advantage that the Red Sox used to have over New York was the starting rotation. Now, Cole is the anchor of a rotation that can transform into one of the best in baseball. The Red Sox no longer have an ace like the Yankees – Chris Sale or Eduardo Rodriguez are both not comparable to the success of New York’s ace.

This throws a giant wrench in the Red Sox offseason. If the Red Sox were going to deal a player such as David Price or Mookie Betts, they could trade and still possibly compete in the postseason due to the strength of their starting rotation.

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But now, with the Yankees having just as good of a rotation and a superior bullpen, the Red Sox have a near-impossible road to the postseason. If Brian Cashman could have made a move that forces the Red Sox into a rebuild, this is the one.

If Bloom and Red Sox ownership feel that New York is an unbeatable opponent, then they might get ready for a re-load and come back in 2021, possibly to face a Yankees team without James Paxton, Masahiro Tanaka, or J.A. Happ.

However, for the short-term, 2020, the Yankees will be a force to be reckoned with. If the Red Sox end up going for the World Series, which I believe they should, they have a massive road-block in their way. For the regular season, winning the AL East will be near impossible. As for the Wild Card, playing the Yankees and Rays 19 times each doesn’t help, especially to go along with an improved Blue Jays club. If the Red Sox sneak into the postseason as the Wild Card team, they will likely play in New York, also not a fun time.

Overall, this Cole signing will definitely have an impact across the league and especially for the Red Sox. This impacts the chance of a 2020 resurgence and Boston’s biggest rival will definitely be a giant factor during the 2019-2020 offseason and 2020 regular season.