3 Reasons the Red Sox Will Be Contenders in 2024 (and 2 Reasons They Won’t)
By Tyler Maher
4. Won’t Contend: The AL East is still brutal
Unfortunately for Boston, it plays in one of the hardest divisions in baseball. Nearly every team in the AL East had a winning record in 2023, and things won’t get any easier next year.
The Orioles are a juggernaut loaded with young talent and are only getting better. If they ever decide to actually spend money in free agency, they’re going to be an absolute wagon.
The Rays were outstanding this year, as always. They’re good every year regardless of how little money they spend and are consistently one of the deepest, most well-rounded teams in baseball.
The Blue Jays were a bit disappointing this year, but still have a talented young core in place. They’ve been knocking on the door for a few years now, but with a couple of tweaks they could be World Series contenders.
The Yankees are the Yankees, and you can never keep them down for long. This was an off year for them, but you can bet they’ll be back with a vengeance next year, especially if they fire Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman and spends a ton of money.
The AL West is also stacked with the Astros, Mariners and Rangers, plus has to win the AL Central. The Red Sox have a lot of competition for a playoff spot next year, so they really need to make substantial upgrades if they want to compete with those teams.