Yankees pitcher takes big-time jab at one AL East rival

The rivalry between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox remains the subject of media hype, but at least on one side, the players do not seem to have it circled on their calendars these days.

Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes had a pretty honest admission about the state of the traditional Yankees-Red Sox rivalry, saying that there are other AL East opponents the team who offer a far higher level of competition.

“It doesn’t feel like what we have with Tampa now, or with Toronto now,” Cortes said, via Jake Mintz of FOX Sports. “You could argue that [the Red Sox] haven’t been who they really are the last couple years.”

The Yankees-Red Sox rivalry seemed to peak in the mid-to-late 2000s, when both teams were competing with each other for titles on a regular basis. Any distaste between the two teams on a personal level has largely faded. Even a pair of playoff meetings in 2018 and 2021 have largely failed to reignite the rivalry to its former state.

The Yankees have had heated moments with the Blue Jays this year, while nothing similar has happened with the Red Sox in recent seasons. Cortes isn’t wrong about the Red Sox taking a step back in terms of contending for championships, either, even if Boston might see it as a slight. Something significant will have to change for the rivalry to spark again.