Red Sox mission in 2020 should be spoiling the Yankees fun

In an offseason filled with transition and controversy, the Boston Red Sox season goal is playing spoiler for their rival New York Yankees.

With the MLB on hiatus throughout the early months of the spring, all eyes were focused on the sign stealing scandals of the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox. Houston obviously received worse punishments because of its egregious form of cheating, but Boston took also felt its own ramifications.

Outside of firing manager Alex Cora for being involved in Houston’s scandal, Boston traded two of its best players this offseason in outfielder Mookie Betts and starting pitcher David Price. With general manager Brian O’Halloran not wanting to break the bank on the upcoming free agent Betts, a trade to save money was the organization’s best bet.

With the season right around the corner, Boston still has plenty of talent to go around in terms of its hitters and its bullpen. With a 60-game regular season starting soon, Boston’s focus in 2020 should be on making life miserable for its rivals in The Bronx.

Take a look at the two teams on paper. In 2019, the Yankees were one of the best teams in the league that pushed the AL Pennant-winning Astros to Game 7 in the ALCS. With the signing of former ‘Stros ace Gerrit Cole and stars coming back healthy, New York is looking to make another run to add to the historic brand of Yankee baseball.

On the other hand, Boston did not have as much success in 2019. Coming off of a World Series championship in 2018, the Sox felt the effects of a championship hangover all year long. With both Betts and Price out of the picture in Beantown, everyone around the American League is expecting Boston to roll over.

That should not be the case though. With star hitters Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts and JD Martinez along with top-end pitchers Eduardo Rodriguez, Nathan Eovaldi, Brandon Workman and a potentially healthy Chris Sale, the bad blood between the two historic rivals should show through. With 10 matchups against each other this season, Boston should put its energy towards the Bombers 10 times out of 10.