It wasn’t that long ago when the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox were involved in a fierce American League rivalry.
The two teams, and their fans, had little love for one another.
The days of Yankees-Red Sox hostility may have gone the way of the outdoor telephone booth. Both are distant memories.
In fact, the Red Sox payroll is the only one to be in decline among the five American League East teams.
Sporttrac.com lists the player payrolls for all Major League Baseball teams.
The Yankees are listed with a 2024 player payroll of $306,152,658, or an increase of close to $24 million from the 2023 season.
In contrast, the Red Sox are listed to have a player payroll of $177,716.975.
The payroll represents a decline in payroll of around $5.1 million.
Last season, the Baltimore Orioles won the AL East with a fantastic 101-61 season.
The Yankees had a miserable year, finishing just above .500, at 82-80.
The Red Sox staggered to a dismal 78-84, .481 winning percentage.
That placed them last in the division, 23 games behind the Orioles.
The Yankees won the division in 2022, compiling a 99-63 record.
The Red Sox finished last in 2022, with their 78-84 record being the same as last year.
The Red Sox were most recently competitive in the American League East in 2021, when they finished in third place.
That season, the Red Sox record was 92-70, a respectable finish, only 8 games behind the division winning Tampa Bay Rays.
