Yes, the Yankees are going to be very good for a while, but there's still a window for this Red Sox team to contend for a championship. In 2017 the Red Sox finished ahead of the Yankees even though a lot of our players had disappointing years and a lot of theirs had career years, or close to it. In 2018 they're probably going to be without Sabathia, who was great this year, and there's every reason to expect a regression by Severino, who threw about 55 more innings this year than he ever has before. Better years by Betts, Bogaerts, and Benintendi, plus a full year of Devers, will help the Red Sox offense, and that's not even counting on any additions or a revival by Hanley.
Another factor is new on-field leadership for the Red Sox. I never disliked Farrell, but I have a lot of confidence in Cora. And he'll almost surely bring in a new coaching staff, which will be a boon to our hitters. I've always admired Chili Davis, but it seemed like he was coaching the hitters to play yesterday's game, which featured plate patience and long at bats, with the goal of getting into the soft underbelly of the other team's bullpen. Now the best teams' bullpens are deep, and the way to win has become to swing aggressively and go for the downs every time. I don't like that game as much, but it seems to be what's working.