The Yankees trading for Juan Soto
Even before the Red Sox stalled and sputtered after the Yamamoto signing, they were falling behind even further in the AL East. For the last few weeks of the 2023 season, Boston and the Yankees were in a race for fourth place. The Yankees ended up winning the race, and their second big move of the coming offseason (yes, after the Alex Verdugo trade) set them apart immediately.
New York shipped five players off to San Diego in exchange for one year of Juan Soto's services (and two years of Trent Grisham). Soto and 2022 AL MVP Aaron Judge batting back-to-back in the same lineup will be borderline cruel to pitchers.
Not only has the Red Sox's offense not improved to compete with the numbers the Yankees are sure to be posting, but they haven't improved the rotation at all. Can any pitcher on Boston's roster handle a back-to-back showdown with Judge and Soto?
The Red Sox will play the Yankees 13 times this season. As the teams in the division improve at a faster rate, the Sox will be pushed further and further to the bottom, and they've already been at the bottom in three of the last four years.