The Boston Red Sox's offseason has been imperfect, but productive. Besides letting Alex Bregman walk, Boston has revamped its rotation to collect insane depth and added Willson Contreras for a consistent first baseman and a jolt of power.
Some other clubs in the American League East have been just as productive — the Toronto Blue Jays added Dylan Cease, Kazuma Okamoto and others, while the Baltimore Orioles brought in sluggers Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward. The New York Yankees, however, have had a dull winter.
Trent Grisham accepted their qualifying offer (because of course he did for $22.025 million) and they finally brought back Cody Bellinger after weeks of negotiations. New York has fully cemented its plan to run it back with last season's roster after its reported interest in reuniting with first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (per Jack Curry of YES Network).
Even entering his age-38 season, Goldschmidt is still a great player. He slashed .274/.328/.403 with a .731 OPS and .336/.411/.570 against lefties — bad news for Garrett Crochet and Ranger Suárez. He was formerly a top-tier first baseman, but age has caught up with him more quickly on the defensive side of the ball. He logged three outs below average last season, ranking in the 22nd percentile among first basemen.
Red Sox, AL East rivals' offseasons continue to beat Yankees as they express interest in reuniting with Paul Goldschmidt to run back same roster as last year
Goldschmidt will make the Yankees slightly better and deeper, but they could go with Ben Rice as their everyday first baseman and still be fine. The young catcher/first baseman flashed surprising power last year, logging 28 doubles, four triples and 26 home runs over 138 games.
Regardless of whether the Yankees land Goldschmidt, Red Sox and other rival fans have relished sending them to the backseat this offseason. New York is usually the biggest spender in the division (not for Toronto's lack of trying) and it's a refreshing change of pace to see them lapped in additions, even if the Sox aren't the only ones beating them.
Boston made relatively easy work of the Yankees in the regular season last year with a 9-4 record against them. The Red Sox's dominance did not continue into the postseason, as they lost the Wild Card series in three games. The Yankees running it back could foreshadow another great year in The Rivalry for Boston (and hopefully it can re-start another postseason winning streak).