Those were the days (and seasons) of the AL East back 5-10 years ago. Since then, the Red Sox have failed to make the playoffs, the Rays have won the AL Pennant, the Orioles made the postseason for the first time since someone named Cal Ripken Jr. was around (1997), the Blue Jays have righted their ship that was going downhill for 20 years and the Yankees' dynasty revolving around Derek Jeter (38), Andy Pettie (41), Jorge Posada (Retired) and the great closer, Mariano Rivera (42) have begun to, shall we say, age.
The elite have crumbled, and the mediocre have come alive in the last few years. The focus of my article comes from the title, "How The Mighty Have Fallen". This piece is more directed towards the fall of the dynasties the Red Sox and Yankees built up in the 2000's with players like Manny Ramirez, Derek Jeter, David Ortiz, Andy Pettite among others. Since then, age and financial stress has caught up with them more than ever. The main difference between these two teams is that the Red Sox have fallen off a cliff since their World Series Title in 2007, while the Yankees have continued to win even with their core in their mid to late 30's (they even won their 27th title in 2009), but there are major problems with both teams, and that is what I am about to delve into...
Boston Red Sox:
It seems as though ever since the Manny/ Papi combo in the middle os the order parted ways, the Red Sox have gone downhill. and fast. Let's not forget, 5 short years ago, they won it all, but since then, they have seen the most dangerous 1-2 punch that this game has seen in the last 50 years part ways, a manager that liked to cause drama rather than quell it, and finally a sudden lack of motivation to be the best again. In 2012, they won 69 games while losing 93 (good for 5th in AL East) during the 100th Anniversary of Fenway Park in what was collectively a disastrous season. That was rock bottom for them as I do not envision dipping below the 70 win mark anytime soon. They have mildly helped their on field product, but are trying to reconstruct their clubhouse atmosphere with the additions of Shane Victorino, Ryan Dempster and David Ross (Napoli and the Sox are no longer in contact) more than anything. However, I do applaud their massive trade with the Dodgers in August as they unloaded massive salary that can now be used in other areas going forward, but all of these players added this off-season are not core pieces to win a championship, but mere compliment, so I dont see a championship in Beantown for at least another 5 years.
New York Yankees:
Here we have a team that were on top of the World for the 27th time in 2009. And they have had continued success since then, even when it seems every year they are expected to fall apart because of their age. I expect them to put up a good fight this year again. However, they have faced more controversy and adversity than ever this off-season as the entire left side of their infield is coming off serious ankle (Jeter) and hip (A-Rod) surgery (Rodriguez is not expected back until at least the All-Star break). Also, they have lost their starting cathcer (Russell Martin) and plan to go with a Chris Stewart/ Francisco Cervelli catching duo which could be the least effective in the AL as they have virtually no offense to speak of while also losing Nick Swisher in RF. Their rotation and team have gotten a year older and more riddled with injuries because of it. I expect them to drop significantly in the standings, but not down to the bottom; they have too many holes in their lineup and on defense and to many aginng players while also being cash strapped with ludicrous contracts (A-Rod, CC, Teixeira) and for icing on the cake, their best player (Robinson Cano) is a Free Agent after 2013 and will command another big money contract that the Yankees don't seem to have the financial muscle to pull off. I see this year as the beginning of the Yankees fall into irrevlevance for the next few years while some of their top prospects (Gary Sanchez, Mason Williams) develop into stars for the next great Yankees team.
As of right now, I would much rather be the Red Sox than the Yankees. The Sox seem to have much more money to work with, a better farm system, and are looking to end the cycle that the Yankees are just starting, re-building. They both are in trouble, but we all knew the Yankees' free spending ways would have caught up to them, and that time is now.
Good Luck Yankees fans, you're gonna need it.
Nicholas Bell
No comments:
Post a Comment
Feel free to leave your comments below!