Will the Red Sox and Yankees battle for the AL East crown?
After eliminating the Red Sox from the playoffs a year ago, the Yankees return with the same cast of characters.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 01: Ceddanne Rafaela #3 of the Boston Red Sox walks to the dugout after hitting a fly ball for the third out to lose to the New York Yankees 4-3 in game two of the American League Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium on October 01, 2025 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) | Getty Images What’s This Team’s Deal? This team has won one World Series since the year 2000.
I haven’t looked into what happened in the hundred years before that. In 2025, after winning a three-game Wild Card series against the Red Sox, New York went down to the Toronto Blue Jays 3-games-to-1, allowing 37 runs in those four games. They have chosen to shake nothing up and bring back the same manager, the same GM, and almost the exact same team in 2026.
How Good Are They? When their entire team is healthy, they could be “Best in the American League” good, but will that happen? Nearly all of their best players have some risk attached to them.
Starting with the staff, Gerrit Cole is working his way back from Tommy John Surgery before last season, hoping to return by June 1. Carlos Rodon had surgery on his elbow at the end of last season to remove bone spurs. Rodon hopes to return in April, but will not pitch in a Spring Training game.