With Yankees' Gerrit Cole out, Boston may prosper

Though terrible for the Yankees, the spring-training shocker of Gerrit Cole needing Tommy John surgery was viewed much differently around the American League East.

Sympathetic, sure. But removing the six-time All-Star from the defending AL champs and perpetual division bully is going to have an immediate, tangible impact for the other four teams scrambling to fill that power void.

And maybe the club best situated to take advantage is the Yankees’ ancient rival, as the Red Sox’s offseason moves —- strong to begin with — just got amplified by the problems in the Bronx. The most significant is the signing of longtime Yankees’ nemesis Alex Bregman, who defected from Houston on a three-year, $120 million deal that incredibly contains an opt-out after paying him $40 million for the first season.

It’s hard to imagine the type of performance that would compel Bregman to bail on a contract that already pays him a $40 million annual salary, but he may have found the perfect environment to try. Bregman has the perfect righthanded swing to tame the Green Monster, hitting .375 (30-for-80) with seven homers in his 21 games as a visitor there, and his 1.240 OPS is the highest of any ballpark (minimum 25 ABs).

All told, that’s still a relatively small sample size. But watching Bregman dent the Monster repeatedly in a handful of Grapefruit League games — the Red Sox’s JetBlue Park is a replica of Fenway’s dimensions — suggests that his March muscle memory was in midseason form.

Not that Bregman’s transition to the Red Sox was entirely smooth. Shortly after players had arrived in Fort Myers for spring training, drama ensued when homegrown star Rafael Devers — who signed a 10-year, $313 million deal before the start of the 2023 season — flatly stated he would not cede his third-base position to Bregman, despite assumptions to the contrary.

Still, Devers did not appear in a spring-training game until midway through the exhibition schedule — the Red Sox insisted it was due to a delay in his winter conditioning — and the tentative plan figured to have him installed as the team’s DH come Opening Day. As a Cole-related aside, remember that it was Devers who the Yankees’ ace stunningly issued an intentional walk to leading off an inning that blew up in his face last season (he’s a career .350 hitter vs. Cole, with eight homers in 40 ABs and a 1.410 OPS).

Boston’s ascension, however, is about more than just Bregman. The Red Sox also traded for the highly-coveted lefty Garrett Crochet — think of him as a Chris Sale facsimile — and signed World Series hero Walker Buehler, bolstering a rotation that already was on the rise last season (Brayan Bello and Kutter Crawford will open the season on IL, however). Also on the horizon: Boston’s Big Three prospects, outfielder Roman Anthony, infielder/outfielder Kristian Campbell and shortstop Marcelo Mayer, a trio that should fortify the Red Sox for years to come after making the playoffs only once since the 2018 World Series title (including three last-place finishes).

As for the others trying to muscle in on the Yankees’ playoff territory, the young-ish Orioles swapped out Cy Young contender Corbin Burnes for 41-year-old Charlie Morton this winter, and their lineup lost 40-homer slugger Anthony Santander to the Blue Jays. Speaking of Toronto, this is coming down to a make-or-break season up north, with the Vladimir Guerrero Jr. extension talks collapsing on the eve of his walk year and Bo Bichette also headed for free agency this winter. Santander is the Jays’ Soto consolation prize, and we’ll soon see how much 40-year-old Max Scherzer has left in the tank. Down in Tampa Bay — or should we say Steinbrenner Field — the two biggest storylines are the Rays moving into the Yankees’ spring training home for the 2025 season and another stadium deal gone kaput for the vagabond Rays. Their big free-agent signing was shortstop Ha-Seong Kim (2 yrs, $29M) but he won’t be ready until May due to shoulder surgery.

Over in the AL Central — traditionally known as the Yankees’ cannon fodder come playoff time — at least they still have the White Sox to kick around. The Tigers, Royals, Guardians and Twins combined to go 42-10 against the lowly South Siders last season, which helps explain why this division sent three teams to the playoffs and four were above .500. Figure the Tigers to capitalize on last year’s late surge by making a few significant offseason upgrades, including the return of Jack Flaherty and the revenge tour of former Yankee Gleyber Torres. The Royals were the other Central team trying this winter by trading for Jonathan India and signing closer Carlos Estevez. As for the cost-cutting Twins, they’re the answer to where Harrison Bader wound up this offseason, and the low-budget Guardians still have a fearsome back end to the bullpen to pair with the potent duo of leadoff man Steven Kwan and perennial MVP candidate Jose Ramirez.

Big doings in the AL West, with the Athletics relocating to Sacramento’s minor-league park until their new Vegas digs are ready in 2028. But the Don’t-Call-Me-Oakland ballclub could make some noise at the major-league level, too, with the surprise spend on Luis Severino upgrading a roster that already has Mason Miller anchoring the pen and sluggers Brent Rooker and Lawrence Butler powering the lineup. The return of oft-injured ace Jacob deGrom from Tommy John surgery should be a huge boost for the Rangers’ playoff hopes as the Astros look to regroup after the losses of Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker this winter. The Mariners having MLB’s best rotation is constantly shaded by Luis Castillo perpetually being on the trading block. As for the Angels, hey isn’t that Mike Trout? The three-time MVP, who’s averaged 66 games the past four seasons — and just 29 last year — due to injuries, is moving to rightfield with the idea of keeping him healthier.

By David Lennon

dave.lennon@newsday.comDPLennon

David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.