So has Major League Baseball’s version of the Cold War finally been scaled back to more reasonable levels? What are you, crazy?
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The Red Sox and Yankees show no signs of taking it easy as their battle for supremacy in the American League East — and, let’s be honest, the world — continues. The two rivals kick off the baseball season on ESPN on Sunday night.
Both teams made some changes this winter — though nothing like New York’s free agent frenzy the previous offseason when it picked up CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, A.J. Burnett and a small resort island in the Caribbean where they now will house their hundreds of World Series trophies.
Boston added ace pitcher John Lackey to a lethal rotation. The Yankees traded for Javier Vazquez, once a candidate for banishment to that island after his first shaky stint in New York but who dominated the National League last year with Atlanta.
“Right now, if I was on either team, I would think that we had a legitimate shot to beat the other one,” ESPN baseball analyst Orel Hershiser said in a conference call. “It’ll come down to health and execution. And all those players are comparable, and we can debate who’s better because they’re that close … But I like the combination the Yankees have — that swagger that goes with winning a championship last year. They are still the team to knock off.”
New York also added outfielder Curtis Granderson in a trade with Detroit to solidify its outfield defense. The Red Sox are already a step ahead in that department — making run prevention their biggest offseason goal. The signing of third baseman Adrian Beltre is just one example. That helps alleviate questions about Boston’s lineup. But not completely.
“I still wonder how the Red Sox are going to score runs,” ESPN analyst Rick Sutcliffe said. “Without the power numbers [from designated hitter David Ortiz] back to where they were in the past, it’ll be hard for them to keep up with the Yankees.”
