Red Sox need big return shot at Yankees more than ever after Paul Goldschmidt deal

The New York Yankees might've lost Juan Soto, but Brian Cashman has been on a mission ever since. The Yankees signed Max Fried just a couple of days later, pulled off trades for both Devin Williams and Cody Bellinger, and have now signed Paul Goldschmidt to a one-year deal.

We can argue all day about whether the team is better than they were with Soto or not, but at the very least, Cashman is doing his best to ensure that the Yankees don't miss the 26-year-old outfielder.

The Boston Red Sox were competing with their AL East rivals for Soto's services but were dealt the same result. Their actions since missing out on Soto, though, have been drastically different than New York's. It's time for that to change.

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Paul Goldschmidt Yankees signing should serve as wake-up call for Red Sox

Goldschmidt never made any sense for the Red Sox and he isn't a player that they were ever linked to, but even while he isn't the MVP-caliber player he once was, he's an upgrade over what they had last season at first base. He's yet another addition that makes this Yankees team better. The Red Sox, unfortunately, have been pretty quiet this offseason, for the most part.

They did make the Garrett Crochet trade, and they deserve credit for that. Their second-biggest move, though, was signing Patrick Sandoval — a starting pitcher who won't even be available to pitch until the second half of the season at the earliest. Their third-biggest move was signing Aroldis Chapman, a reliever Yankees fans couldn't stand by the end of his tenure in the Bronx.

The Red Sox are better than they were this past season thanks to the Crochet addition, but is Crochet enough to bridge the gap from Boston to New York? Sure, the Yankees lost Soto, but again, an argument can be made that they might be in a better position to win right now than they were with Soto.

Even if they aren't, the Yankees won 94 games this past season compared to Boston's 81. Is Crochet, a couple of months of Sandoval, and Chapman going to make up the large gap between these two teams even with the Yankees losing Soto based on everything that the Yankees have done?

The Red Sox have more work to do if they want to make the AL East interesting. Adding another frontline starter like Corbin Burnes absolutely should be on their priority list. Adding a big right-handed bat, whether that be Teoscar Hernandez or Alex Bregman, should also be a priority. The Red Sox could also use some help in their bullpen.

Yes, the Yankees lost Soto, but they've been hard at work ever since, upgrading the team all over the diamond. The Red Sox made the Crochet trade, but have been mostly silent since their Soto miss. For them to compete with their arch-rivals in the division, major moves will have to be made in response to what Brian Cashman has been able to do.