Yankees' Editorial: Can the Yankees/Mets Rivalry Surpass the Red Sox?

I know, it’s stupid to think. The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees rivalry is nearly a century old. It transcends baseball. The Red Sox and Yankees rivalry is one of the greatest in sports’ history because it has made the two biggest cities in the Northeast despise each other in every walk of life.

But what if one city were the ones fighting for baseball supremacy? Not just in the moment, but for a sustained period of time? Think about it. The Cubs and White Sox? When was the last time they were relevant at the same time? The same can be said about the Dodgers and Angels. Sure, the Giants and the As have a bitter rivalry, and like the Mets and Yankees have squared off in a World Series, but as long as the As have been “relevant” have they ever really posed a threat to being a World Series champion?

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The Yankees and Mets are heading into an era that they may both be trending in the right direction. It may be even started earlier with the surprising first place starts by both teams. This will be the first time in a very long time that the Mets can actually battle for the right to call New York City theirs, and that could heat this rivalry up to epic proportions.

The Yankees and Red Sox rivalry really was at it’s peak from Bucky Dent’s home run in 1978 with the “Boston Massacre” all the way up to Johnny Damon’s grand slam in the 2004 ALCS. It really seems to have simmered down since then, simply because the Red Sox won. It wasn’t like the Red Sox were ever an after thought in the AL East. The Yankees and Red Sox were quite possibly team 1A and 1B in the entire American League for the 90s and 2000s, and until 2004, the Yankees kept them in their place. Then the Sox won… and won again… and then one more time to really make me angry. The dynamic of the rivalry has changed because the bad guys showed that they could win.

That’s why it’s the polar opposite for the Mets and Yankees rivalry. Yes, the Mets have been the after thought in New York City for a long time. They have had few spans in their history that they could actually compete with the Yankees. I mean come on, did any of you really think the Mets stood a chance in 2000?

Now the Mets can not only compete with the Yankees, they have the endless possibilities to dominate for a long time coming. They have the pieces in place to rule New York.

That sentence angers you, doesn’t it? It makes you forget the fact that Boston even exists and that the Yankees are tied with them for first place in the AL East. The Yankees turf could actually be threatened, and that it is unacceptable.

The Mets are riding an 11-game winning streak… without some of their best players. Their captain David Wright is hurt, Travis d’Arnaud is hurt, the backend of their bullpen was torn apart by injuries and suspensions, and Zack Wheeler’s bright future was put on the shelf for at least another year. But, the Mets are still winning.

They have pieces in their farm system that can step in and keep their momentum going. Beyond that, they have even more that aren’t even at the big league level yet. Noah Syndergaard is a year away from making a Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Wheeler, and Syndergaard rotation very likely and very scary. Michael Conforto is terrorizing baseballs in the Minor Leagues and could easily replace an aging Michael Cuddyer in left field in two years giving the Mets a solid Juan Lagares/ Conforto outfield.

But wait… the Yankees have a farm system again. Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia, Alex Rodriguez, and Carlos Beltran are nearing the end of their horrific contracts. The Yankees farm system is a year or two away from being a reality at the Major League level, and they have the pieces to compete while they develop. The last time the Yankees had a core of minor leaguers (I believe there were at least four of them) they went on to build one of the most explosive dynasties in the history of baseball.

That means that both the Mets and Yankees could indeed be battling for baseball supremacy in the foreseeable future. That means that maybe the Mets and Yankees could indeed see World Series appearances against each other if just half the prospects work out down the road. And yes, if the Mets prospects pan out, the Mets may be good enough to win some of those World Series. That means that Yankees fans will have to hear Mets fans actually believe that they are the Kings of New York. And that is a terrible feeling.

Yankees’ Editorial: Can the Yankees/Mets Rivalry Surpass the Red Sox?

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