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Ten reasons to look forward to the 2022 Red Sox season

By Daniel Fox

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 11: Enrique Hernandez #5 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates his game winning sacrifice fly with teammates in the ninth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays during Game 4 of the American League Division Series at Fenway Park on October 11, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 11: Enrique Hernandez #5 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates his game winning sacrifice fly with teammates in the ninth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays during Game 4 of the American League Division Series at Fenway Park on October 11, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Winslow Townson/Getty Images) /
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Red Sox SS Xander Bogaerts
BOSTON, MA – OCTOBER 6: Xander Bogaerts #2 of the Boston Red Sox follows through on a home run against the New York Yankees during the AL Wild Card playoff game at Fenway Park on October 6, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images) /

Red Sox will be challenged by the competitiveness of the AL East

The Red Sox are going to play competitive baseball. That much is certain. Their roster may not be perfect, but there are too many stars on this roster for them not to be in the thick of the pennant race. Any team with Chris Sale, Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, Nathan Eovaldi, and Alex Cora at the helm is going to win some games.

That doesn’t mean that an AL East title is a sure thing. Last year, the division became the first in MLB history to contain four 90-win teams, and each returns as loaded and as talented as ever.

Leading the pack are the Tampa Bay Rays, winners of 100 games and featuring a roster littered with young sluggers and hard-throwing starters. The Yankees matched the Red Sox with 92 wins, and though they haven’t added much so far this offseason, they arguably have the best pitcher (Gerritt Cole) and all-around talent (Aaron Judge) in the division. Finally, there are the 91-win Blue Jays, seemingly overflowing with great, young hitters and with an elite rotation to boot.

If you want to look at it from a negative perspective, all that talent in the Red Sox division will make it extremely tough for them to win the division and secure the new first-round bye. On the flip side, however, those teams will play the Red Sox a combined 56 times this season, meaning that Red Sox fans have a boatload of matchups against top-level competition to look forward to.

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