You know the rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees is alive and well when an executive from one of the teams is sharing bold takes in the media as the MLB hot stove is heating up.
Yankees president Randy Levine was asked about the Yankees' roster improvements this winter and how it relates to them trying to catch the Red Sox, who beat New York in the American League Division Series en route to winning the 2018 World Series.
Here's what Levine had to say, per Erik Boland of Newsday:
It's tough to agree with Levine.
Sure, the Red Sox and Yankees both won 100-plus games and have few roster holes, but Boston clearly is the better team. The ALDS was fairly close, but the Red Sox exposed the Yankees' lack of quality pitching by outscoring them 27-14 over four games. During the regular season, the Sox were the highest-scoring team in the A.L. (New York was second) and had the third-best ERA (New York was fifth).
The Yankees certainly have improved their roster since that postseason exit. They traded for talented starter James Paxton from the Seattle Mariners and are expected to pursue other free agents like Manny Machado, Bryce Harper and Nathan Eovaldi.
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