Off-Season Moves

I know that this has been pointed out by many people on many different occasions but this off-season the Red Sox addressed needs while the Yankees created just as many holes as they filled.

The Red Sox only lost two major parts of their 2003 team - John Burkett and Todd Walker. Burkett has retired to a life of bowling after not getting a major league offer from any MLB team. Todd Walker signed as a free agent with the Cubs after the Red Sox decided to go in a less expensive / more defense oriented direction.

The Red Sox added Keith Foulke as a free agent, traded for Curt Schilling (only giving up flotsam and jetsam in the process), signed Pokey Reese and signed Ellis Burks. The team is definitely better than the team who finished 5 outs from the World Series last year.

The Yankees lost Roger Clemens (they thought he was retiring), Andy Pettitte, David Wells, Nick Johnson (in the Vazquez trade) and Alfonso Soriano. They also lost third baseman Aaron Boone to a basketball knee injury.

The Yankees added Javier Vazquez, Kevin Brown (I didn't count Jeff Weaver among those lost because he was really a non-factor to last year's team), Kenny Lofton, Gary Sheffield, Tom Gordon, Paul Quantrill, Felix Heredia, Alex Rodriguez, Tony Clark and Travis Lee. Let me make a couple of observations about these additions:

1. Many people focus on the starting pitching because even with the moves - the Yankees still haven't gotten back to last year's level. It is doubtful that the Vazquez / Brown combination will be able to equal the win total of Clemens / Pettitte from last year and they really haven't replaced David Wells (who was two Rivera blown-saves from having 17 wins last year).

2. The focus on the starting pitching often obscures the fact that the Yankees have really strengthened the bullpen. Gordon, Quantrill and Heredia make the bullpen much stronger and deeper than last year's version. Maybe the stronger bullpen can offset the weaker starting pitching?

3. Do the additions of Tony Clark and Travis Lee offset the loss of Nick Johnson? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

4. The combination of Aaron Boone and Alfonso Soriano made the Yankees a better team than Alex Rodriguez and whoever they trot out at second base. The PR of the deal not withstanding - A-Rod doesn't make them better than last year when the Yankees had A-Sor and Boone.

5. Kenny Lofton should be called 36-year old Kenny Lofton whenever his name appears in print. Also keep in mind that last year at this time Lofton was just signing on to play for the Island of Misfit Players (Pittsburgh). On the bright side - the Yankees did get to add Lofton's sunny disposition to the clubhouse [sarcasm off].

6. Gary Sheffield - last year Sheffield had a career year but even if Sheffield has a big drop of 15% in productivity he would still have .280 BA / 33 HR / 112 RBI - that's still some pretty big numbers there. The only things that could stop Sheffield are age, injury or something say steroid related and what's the probability of that happening?

The case that the Red Sox are better than last year is clear. The case that the Yankees are better than last year's team is not so clear.

Let me aslo point out that this isn't a case of another Red Sox fan having a case of Yankee envy - I only made the above observations because it is always wise to size-up the closest competition (and as returning AL East champs - the Yankees as still the team to beat) plus the Red Sox moves are down-right straightforward and boring when compared to the splash, flash and turmoil of the Yankees moves.