The Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees battled through all of October on the field. They fought all winter off the field. We all know who won the first battle, but which squad is entering 2005 with the upper hand? Let's break it down:
Boston Starting Pitching: Curt Schilling will be the anchor of Boston's staff (as if he wasn't already). Schilling may start the season a few weeks late due to a bout with the flu and some residual ankle problems, but all indications are that he will ultimately be fine.
David Wells will step into the number two role. Wells is a left-handed Curt Schilling, except for the fact that he's bald, fatter than Schilling, louder than Schilling (if that's possible), and he doesn't throw as hard. But Wells is a veteran big-game pitcher who throws strikes.
Behind Wells will be Matt Clement, who has a lot of upside, but has never been able to put everything together. The back of the rotation should remain the same, with Tim Wakefield and Brandon, ahem, Bronson Arroyo filling in the final two spots. If Wade Miller can get his shoulder healthy, he could be a dangerous mid-season addition.
Despite the high pedigree of Boston's staff, they pose a lot more risks than 2004's squad. Schilling is a year older, Wells has back problems, Clement can have control problems, Wakefield can have some very rough patches, and Arroyo is talented but may have pitched over his head last season.
New York Starting Pitching: Randy Johnson changes everything. He finally gives New York someone to go toe-to-toe with Schilling.
The signing of Carl Pavano is not as significant. Pavano will be playing in a much smaller park, facing a designated hitter, and will have a worse defense playing behind him. He's no ace, but he should give New York 15 wins and 4.00 ERA.
The Jaret Wright signing was a puzzler. He looks like he's one of those high-priced free agents ready to fall apart after leaving pitching coach Leo Mazzone. But on the plus side for New York, there's no way Mike Mussina can be as bad as he was in 2004. If Kevin Brown is healthy, he should be pretty solid, but what else is new.
Just like Boston, New York's rotation has some question marks. If Brown or Johnson go down with injures, or if Wright implodes, then this team is in trouble. Unlike Boston, they don't have as much depth in the farm system to go out and acquire a top tier player at the deadline.
Edge: very slightly to the Yankees.
Boston Bullpen: If Matt Mantei is healthy and can come through as a setup man, Boston should be all set. If not, the Sox could struggle in this area. Alan Embree and Mike Timlin are reliable, but aren't close to dominating. Luckily for Boston, Keith Foulke is.
New York Bullpen: The addition of Mike Stanton is very big for New York. They missed him dearly the last couple of years. A trio of Mariano Rivera, Tom Gordon, and Stanton is exceptional.
Edge: New York
Boston Lineup: Boston's lineup is consistently among the best in baseball, and it may be even better in 2005. Outfielder Manny Ramirez and designated hitter David Ortiz form a flamboyant and powerful core, but a healthy Trot Nixon could be the wildcard in this lineup. Nixon mashes righties and could make an extremely dangerous platoon partner with reserve Jay Payton.
It is possible there will be regressions from players like second baseman Mark Bellhorn and centerfielder Johnny Damon, but a full season from Trot Nixon could make up for these other potential declines. The addition of shortstop Edgar Renteria should help some, but other than his obscenely good 2003 season, he hasn't lit the world on fire with his bat.
New York Lineup: Just as Boston will benefit from the return of Trot Nixon, New York should benefit even more from the roid-free return of Jason Giambi. Despite being off the juice, Giambi looks strong and healthy. He has crushed the ball in spring training thus far.
Tino Martinez will go back to first base, and Tony Womack will man second base; scare no one. Center fielder Bernie Williams is also declining. However, other than those three spots, the Yankees lineup consists of top-tier All-Stars (Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Gary Sheffield, etc.).
Edge: Draw
Boston Defense: Renteria will be a help at shortstop, and other than that things stay pretty much the same for Boston. They will really miss the ability to substitute Pokey Reese and Doug Mientkiewicz late in games.
New York Defense: Tino Martinez will help improve the defense at first. Still, if Bernie Williams is patrolling centerfield, the Yankees are in deep trouble. It might help if they give him a wheelchair to help him chase down fly balls.
Edge: Draw
Conclusion: These teams are so close in talent that it should be fun to watch the season unfold. But right now, New York's superior bullpen combined with its very slight starting pitching advantage make the Yankees better positioned to excel in the playoffs. However, all bets are off if Boston can pick up a top quality player before the trade deadline.
