Is Yankee/Red Sox Hegemony coming to an end?

[Nigel Tufnel]

It is tough for me as well... there was great excitement when we made the playoff's as the WildCard in 1996 and made it to the ALCS. And there was a tremendous LETDOWN for me when we went wire-to-wire in 1997 only to get bounced in the first round. I think it took 3 years for me to recover from that.

I've determined that for me, I like being the underdog and overachieving as opposed to the favorite and fending off the challengers.

Not that it really changes anything you said, but I'm pretty sure the O's made it to the 2nd round in 1997 (the Yanks got bounced in the 1st round that year, though).

[SilentJames]

Both of their minor league systems are still better than ours and for all the talk about how they buy everyone, the Yankees traded for Granderson which anyone could have done including the Orioles. I can't imagine the Orioles offering Tillman and Pie plus a prospect or Tillman and Scott for Granderson at the time and the Tigers saying no. Granderson is the type of player that I would have went after. You need three outfielders and I would prefer having two that could play CF.

Yeah but they don't have to RELY on their minor league system; that is the key. Outside of Cano their minor league system has not really produced a legit star since 1995. Joba was a bust, Hughes as well, Ty Clippard stunk it up in NYC then found his groove in a vastly inferior division and league, Gardner is nice but I don't think anyone considers him to be someone you really build around.

They can make trades with their minors because their vast payroll allows them to do it. Yes the Orioles could have traded for Granderson but they do not have the ability to fill holes with money like the Yankees do.

The Orioles DID make fantastic trades for Hardy and Reynolds, two players I am sure that the Yankees would love to have had on their team this year. But the Yankees have no room for them as they are tied to aging players with large contracts that are fairly immobile at the moment. That is our one hope.

What makes the AL East so difficult is the fact that you have to be perfect. The Rays are a fantastic organization, are the model that many want us to follow and still needed the worst collapse in the history of MLB to make the playoffs this year. That is about as close to a "lucky season" as you are going to get in this division under the current system.

Every few years there is one team in baseball that just sort of has everything going right for it. Like the Indians and Pirates this year it usually doesn't last the whole season but sometimes it does.

There are no lucky seasons in the AL East. You need to be one of the best teams in baseball to compete. And that is largely due to the resources the Yankees and Red Sox have at their disposal. The Rays might actually have to TRIM payroll next year (due to over-estimating attendance revenue); one has to wonder how long they will be able to keep it up.

[OFFNY]

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Well, they may not consistently win the pennant and/or the World Series every year, but I think that both franchises will continue to easily get 88 or more wins every year in the toughest division in baseball. As was the case with the Rays, we're going to have to do much more climbing up to them as they will be falling down toward us. And if I'm wrong, and the Yanks and the Red Sox fall on hard times in the W-L column over the next few years, that would be even better.

[BaltimoreTerp]

The "hegemony" is over. There can be little doubt about that. However, it isn't for the reason we expected.

For years, the thought was that the Yankees and Red Sox would get too old and too overloaded with poor contracts, and their fall to the pack would even out the field for the Orioles, Jays and Rays. What has happened, though, is that instead the Rays have already risen to the level of the Yankees and Red Sox, and the Jays are positioning themselves to do the same. So while the era of the two-team AL East is over (at least for a time) it is in a way that leaves the Orioles in a worse position.

[SilentJames]

The "hegemony" is over. There can be little doubt about that. However, it isn't for the reason we expected.

For years, the thought was that the Yankees and Red Sox would get too old and too overloaded with poor contracts, and their fall to the pack would even out the field for the Orioles, Jays and Rays. What has happened, though, is that instead the Rays have already risen to the level of the Yankees and Red Sox, and the Jays are positioning themselves to do the same. So while the era of the two-team AL East is over (at least for a time) it is in a way that leaves the Orioles in a worse position.

The question becomes how long can they do it? The Rays are a great organization but still needed the worst collapse in history to make the playoffs this year and may even have to cut payroll next year because of poor attendance.

The Jays are an interesting story, but what happens if their prospects don't pan out? Will they have the money/ players to go after top-tier MLB talent?

That is what makes the Sox and Yanks so daunting. If Kyle Drabek pulls a Phil Hughes (or Brian Matusz for that matter) the Jays' plans take a big hit. Remember when Alex Rios was going to be the centerpiece to build around?

When Phil Hughes and Joba bust, the Yankees can just go shopping. The Jays, Rays and Orioles will not have that luxury. We rely on the performance of young org guys scores more than the Red Sox and Yankees. And it is for that reason that the Sox and Yanks will be competitive for a long time. Other organizations will have windows of competition and rebuild, the resources that those teams have means they can largely buck that trend.

[weams]

Orioles... largely Buck that trend.

I agree completely!

[weams]

Is Yankee/Red Sox Hegemony coming to an end?

Yes, yes it is.

[JTrea81]

No it's not.

Let's not forget the Sox were 1 game away from the playoffs, and while the Yankees were out in the first round, they still won 97 games and the AL East despite down seasons from a lot of their key players.

NESN isn't going away, YES isn't going away and those teams will still have money pumped into them.

And the Red Sox still are pouring money into scouting and development, as are the Yankees. So while this seems like a victory, both teams will be back in the playoff picture, if not the playoffs next season.

And the Jays and Rays are still lurking, with the Jays rising to power and the Rays somehow finding a way to cling onto what they've got due to their rotation and defense.

Edited October 7, 2011 by JTrea81

[MarylandAaron]

What stinks is....We have the two richest teams and the two smartest teams in our division. It's gonna be an uphill battle for the O's for the entire forseeable future.

[orayole]

The Roman Empire faded not because they got weaker, but because their enemies got stronger. Unfortunately the O's are the natives dying off from disease.

[BarclaySouthway]

who's season would you rather have:

I'll take the 89 wins over the 69 wins, thanks. Hell, we won 87 in '89 and lost the division on the second-to-last day of the season, and it's the 3rd best season we've had in 28 years.

[SrMeowMeow]

If Epstein leaves the Red Sox, I will have legitimate hope.

[hoosiers]

I think the NYY can simply re-load because of the massive payroll they can bear - even if they have a down year or two coming up.

I do believe the BoSox can be brought down a notch or two and when things start rolling downhill, it is difficult to say where they will stop. The weak BoSox rotation that ended the past season is, for the most part, the one projected to start 2012. It is not an intimidating rotation at all. The BoSox will shed some salary entering next season, but they will soon owe big paydays to Lester and Ellsbury. I am not convinced the BoSox are going to be a top 5-8 team for a large majority of the next 10-15 years.

[LOUDOUN_BIRD]

The Roman Empire faded not because they got weaker, but because their enemies got stronger. Unfortunately the O's are the natives dying off from disease.

Yeah an the Roman Empire lasted a long, long time. If we had that success I would take it

[hallmt18]

I think this shows that you can buy the playoffs, but not the championship. Anything can happen in a 5-game series, especially when you are talking about the top 8 teams.

But when you are talking about 162 games, the big spenders are almost always going to be in the playoffs.