New York Yankees and their fans were optimistic heading into the 2023 season. The team signed Aaron Judge and Carlos Rodón to long-term contracts, hoping to build a championship-winning roster. However, by July, both the Yankees and their rival Boston Red Sox were battling for last place. Ultimately, Boston finished at the bottom for the third time in four years, which was difficult for many Yankees fans to accept.
The disappointment and fan backlash prompted the Yankees to take aggressive action in 2024. They acquired Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo to strengthen their outfield and signed Marcus Stroman, a target of the Red Sox in free agency, who has posted a 2.82 ERA over 79.2 innings. Aaron Judge has been outstanding at the plate, forming a formidable duo with Soto that has troubled opposing pitchers.
New York has maintained a strong hold on first place in the American League East for most of the season. While the Orioles have been close behind, the Yankees show no signs of slowing down. Gerrit Cole, the reigning AL Cy Young winner, is still recovering from injury, and top prospect Jasson Dominguez is expected to join the big leagues soon.
PERFECT 😎🥃 #RepBX pic.twitter.com/r8m7W4IDEl
— Fireside Yankees (@FiresideYankees) June 14, 2024
The Yankees’ rebuilding process has been significantly shorter than that of the Red Sox. After one disappointing season, Yankees ownership woke up and took action. Before 2023, New York had not missed the postseason since 2016. In contrast, the Red Sox have endured four lackluster seasons in the last five years, even with their 2021 ALCS roster.
The 2024 Yankees exemplify how a top-tier franchise should respond after disappointing seasons. While they haven’t won any titles yet, their complete rebuild has taken half the time of Boston’s.
The Red Sox front office aimed to field a “competitive team” this season, but despite a .500 record, they are not contenders in the AL East. Regular season competitiveness means little if they miss the postseason, and with the Yankees and Orioles performing strongly, Boston’s path to contention appears distant.
