The Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees have long been rivals. And it appears that rivalry is still as strong as it is off the field as it is on the field.
Ahead of the second game of the teams' four-game series at Fenway Park, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman confirmed that the Yankees, one of the league's top contenders, would be working hard to find upgrades for their team ahead of the trade deadline.
However, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, there is a stipulation to their activity that involves the Red Sox.
This isn't surprising in the least. Since 1998, the Sox and Yankees have only completed one trade. That came on deadline day in July of 2014 when the Red Sox sent Stephen Drew and cash to the Yankees in exchange for Kelly Johnson. Drew would hit .187 with 20 homers in a year and a half with the Yankees while Johnson hit .160 in just 25 at-bats for the Red Sox.
So, needless to say, this trade wasn't a very important one. And given that the 2014 Red Sox were already well out of contention at 48-60 when the deal was struck, they knew it would likely have minimal impact on the two squads.
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As Cashman's comments indicate, it doesn't appear that the Red Sox and Yankees will agree on a deal, especially with the two jockeying for positioning in a crowded AL East and Wild Card race. And considering that they've only made five total trades in the past 50 years, they probably will continue to avoid one another as much as possible in future trade talks.
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