FORT MYERS, Fla. – Even after adding J.D. Martinez and winning the AL East the last two seasons, the Red Sox still feel like underdogs a few weeks into spring training with the favorites, the Yankees, visiting Jet Blue Park Saturday.
The New York lineup seems impossible to navigate through without taking on some damage. Even if Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge slump at the same time, there's still Gary Sanchez and Didi Gregorius, among others, to go through. That's not exactly a well-kept secret.
"They're the team to beat," Alex Cora said. "If you ask Cash (Yankees general manager Brian Cashman), we are the team to beat . . . In the division, you go to all these Web sites and it seems like they have us at 91 wins. Then run-differential is the same, which I think is cool for everybody."
As much as Cora feels New York is "the team to beat," in the AL East – making clear the Astros are the team to beat in the league – he still makes the case there isn't a gap in talent between his club and Aaron Boone's. Even prior to adding Martinez.
"I never thought there was a gap," he said. "I was very comfortable with the team we had going into Spring Training. And then it happens that we add Eduardo (Nunez) and J.D. (Martinez). But we have a good team. Last year this team won 93 games. And it was a tough season. You start to look at the extra-inning games and those innings, the high leverage innings that the relievers had to go through and it's not easy. But they did a good job.
"And the Yankees did an outstanding job, too . . . That's a good baseball team over there, too. They've done a lot of good things. We'll see where it goes, but they're good, they're really good. But we feel we're good, too. I never thought there was a gap."
Not that Cora necessarily minds chasing the Yankees. In his time playing for Boston the Red Sox were still dealt with some uphill battles. Being the team chasing could even create some stress for the Yankees.
"Pressure on Booney," Cora said jokingly. "They were 3-2 in the ALCS, so pressure on him."
While they're now managing rival teams, Boone and Cora have kept in touch since inking their new deals. Though there was a brief hiccup in communication this spring.
"He changed his number," Cora said. "When he texted me the number I said, 'Wow, big time, huh?'"
Cora doesn't expect that to change – their friendship – despite their new jobs. Much like player relationships have changed through the years, whether it's through players working out together in the offseason or having played together elsewhere, the Red Sox and Yankees managers will remain friends (as weird as that may sound). Though that doesn't mean they'll be having laughs across the field mid-game.
"He's in a great place, I'm happy for him," Cora said. "But at the end, I know what he wants, he knows what I want."
