Yankees Fans, Relax: Red Sox Haven’t Won Anything Yet

Yankees fans need to pump the brakes on their anxiety-riddled disappointment of the Red Sox are assembling a “super team.”

I get that Chris Sale pitching in the AL East will likely result in the Yankees facing him five times or so per season, well into the foreseeable future. And on paper, the Red Sox have three aces, two of which are capable of completely shutting down left-handed hitters.

But Price was downright average at best in 2016. Throw in his enormous contractual agreement, and should he struggle again in the early portion of ’17, Bo’ Sox fans will likely hang him in effigy.

Sale’s presence at the top of their rotation should take off a considerable amount of pressure from the 31-year-old Price, but what does it do to reigning AL Cy Young award winner Rick Porcello?

I ask because this past season, Porcello finally lived up to the lofty expectations he’s been saddled with since being drafted in the first round of the 2007 draft. During his 22-4 campaign, it seemed Porcello was clicking on all cylinders because he was now “the man.” Not by design, of course – that was supposed to be $217M man, Price.

Maybe was Porcello was previously mired in mediocrity because he was stuck in the shadow of Justin Verlander. Whatever the reason, he couldn’t seem to get out of his own way as the Tigers’ No. 2 starter.

Sale’s inclusion likely bumps Porcello down a peg in the rotation (though manager John Farrell could decide to shake it up should his team be facing a predominately right-handed hitting team).

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Heck, if we’re projecting the order of the staff based on not only salary but consistency over the course of more than just one single season, you’d have to pencil in Price as the club’s No. 2 option.

It’s easy to say Porcello would immediately become baseball’s best No. 3 starter, but I would follow up that assessment by warning about his propensity for getting lost in the shuffle – pitching for long stretches with the Tigers like he knew the club didn’t fully believe in him. Would Boston really risk screwing up the psyche of their best right-handed pitcher? Perhaps they already have.

While signing Matt Holliday won’t give you the same immediate impact that the more flashy Edwin Encarnacion would have, it’s still a plus addition in regards to rounding out the lineup’s ability to hit three left-handed pitchers. I can’t remember the last time a team used a trifecta of southpaw shooters effectively.

So for all the people out there labeling the Sox as baseball’s next great “super team” (Cashman included), I say pump the breaks. The media and MLB pundits alike are so fast to jump on the bandwagon of clubs that seem to be stocked to the brim with A+ talent. But when was the last time a team full of superstars won a World Series?

The answer could arguably be the Yankees of 2009. What seems like an eternity ago – look at the mess created by assembling that club and the ones shortly after it.

Besides, no Steph Curry-like team that I know has Pablo Sandoval rockin’ and rollin’ as its third baseman.

Next: Cashman Speaks On Chris Sale Deal

So don’t wave the white flag just yet, Yankees fans. While it’s easy for many to declare that the hated Red Sox will be playing the Cubs in the 2017 World Series, we’re only now entering early December – a lot can and will happen before Spring training, let alone next fall.