12up Logo

Yankees Early Injuries Are Clear Reminder of Why Red Sox Have Great Chance at Playoffs

By Sean Facey

Injuries to Luis Severino and James Paxton show that the playoff window is still open for Boston.
Injuries to Luis Severino and James Paxton show that the playoff window is still open for Boston. / Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images

When the New York Yankees acquired Gerrit Cole, it looked like a death blow to the Boston Red Sox' already slim shot at winning the division. It only seemed like more of a certainty that the Red Sox would miss out on the postseason after they dealt Mookie Betts and David Price to the Los Angeles Dodgers. PECOTA projections were none too kind about how their 2020 campaign would go.

But nothing is ever guaranteed between these two rivals. Superstar pitchers Luis Severino and James Paxton are both dealing with troubling injuries after Week 1 of Spring Training, continuing the Yankees' woes from last year.

If nothing else, their health concerns serve as a reminder that the Yankees are still mortal, and that the Red Sox still have a fighting chance at playing October baseball.

Sure, the division might not be in play unless something truly catastrophic happens, but these injuries serve as a reminder that things can go wrong in bundles for the reigning AL East champions. As the Red Sox proved in 2019, health problems with star pitchers can prove to have devastating consequences, and the Yanks are already down two, leaving their rotation looking rather comparable to Boston's.

If the Red Sox manage to snag a few extra wins in games where the Yankees are snake-bitten by the injury woes, they could suddenly find themselves in an unexpected spot.

Besides, it's not like the Red Sox don't have a competitive roster. They still have Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers, players who ranked eighth and 12th, respectively, in all of baseball in fWAR last year. They also have one of the game's best strikeout artists in Chris Sale.

Despite the doom and gloom of this offseason, the Red Sox are still a strong team. They have a plenty of talented players and virtually no pressure to perform heading into 2020.

If injuries continue to nag at New York and Boston plays up to its potential, there's no reason why the Red Sox shouldn't make it into the postseason.