The New York Yankees finished with 94 wins, matching the Toronto Blue Jays, but they now have to deal with the Wild Card series. That’s because the Blue Jays won the head-to-head season series 8-5. That single tiebreaker cost New York a division title and a first-round bye. And earlier this year, they graciously offered their own spring training facility as a temporary home to the Tampa Bay Rays after Hurricane Milton destroyed their home stadium. So, if the Rays had won just two more games against the Blue Jays in their final series as gratitude, New York would have been the division champs and directly advanced to the ALDS.

But oh well, the Bronx Bombers now see themselves against the tough Boston Red Sox for the fifth time this century. But before that, let’s see what outfielder Cody Bellinger has said about the present Yankees roster that is going to face the Red Sox. And there may be a thousand ways to praise your current team before an impending free agency looms over your head, without hurting your former team — but Bellinger didn’t choose that path.

As Bob Klapisch of NJ Advance Media wrote, “Cody Bellinger, who won a ring with the Dodgers in 2020, says, ‘This (Yankees roster) is the most talented team I’ve ever played for.'” On the surface, it’s a compliment, but if we consider the upcoming free agency, where he will certainly be expected to opt out of his three-year, $80 million contract to test the market, this comment had teeth and no doubt was a subtle dig at his former team, the Dodgers.

But let’s be simple and compare this Yankees team to the 2020 Los Angeles Dodgers squad he won a title with. That Dodgers team was built around players like Mookie Betts, Corey Seager, Will Smith, and Justin Turner. And if we compare that roster with the present Yankees core that includes Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Trent Grisham, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and most importantly, Cody Bellinger, the latter will surely be ahead of the 2020 Dodgers rings-winning group in almost every offensive category. But still, the main difference maker will be Bellinger’s role on each team.

In 2020, he was a champion, but it happened during a period of decline. He hit just .239 that season and a miserable .136 in the World Series. And this season with the Yankees? Bellinger is a star in every way. His slash line stands at .272/.334/.480 with 29 home runs (highest since his breakout 2019 season with LAD) and 98 RBIs, posting an .814 OPS.

In the meantime, Bellinger’s old team is gearing up for its own title defense after winning its 12th NL West title in 13 years. Their lineup is downright scary and led by Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman. And the starting rotation, featuring Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Ohtani, is arguably the best in baseball. A potential rematch will surely be exciting after last year’s World Series final. But for now, both teams have to survive the Wild Card round first.

However, even with all this talent, October success is not guaranteed.

Let’s see why

Let’s start with Bellinger. Despite his great season, there is a concern. He ranks at the bottom of the league with just a 32nd percentile in hard-hit rate. This means he can be blocked with elite playoff pitching and defense.

And though the rival Red Sox have some lapses in defense, we can definitely expect world-class pitching from Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet, who will start the first game. The lefty has been a nightmare for New York as he has a record of losing 0 games in his career against them in seven appearances, with a 2.90 ERA and 45 strikeouts.

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Plus, Boston also won the season series 9-4 and features a dangerous lineup including Alex Bregman, who has never lost a single series in his previous 3 meetings with the Yankees in October, and former Yankee Aroldis Chapman, who is having his career year and successfully converted 32 saves in 34 chances.

And the team endured a brutal 25-34 slump mid-season, and playing key players like Aaron Judge through a right flexor tendon strain and Giancarlo Stanton while managing tennis elbow in both arms, anything can happen anytime that upsets the entire upside.