So I will freely admit here on breaking balls that when we start talking about teams throughout

Major League Baseball, the usual suspects interest me the most. Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs,

Giants, Cardinals, the big market teams, the big market areas, the teams with some history.

So the Yankees are headed into Boston at the beginning of next week, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, for a three-game series.

I thought this would be a good opportunity to further examine some of the differences between the two teams, how they operate, that sort of thing.

So we're going to speak with Michael Kay momentarily here and the voice of the

Yankees, Michael Kaye, Yes, Network, obviously also of ESPN Radio, who has been a long-time colleague,

someone who might think very highly of. And then beyond that, we'll touch on the San Diego

Padres, because I think there's an amazing thing going on out there with the Padres

who've been playing pretty good baseball of late or very good baseball of late and are really,

I don't want to say there's a story in the game, but they have a closer in Mason Miller,

who is performing at ungodly and unseen levels with the Padres.

So we'll get to that momentarily.

But let me start by saying this, that the Yankees and the Red Sox have often been looked

at as Pierce.

And in many ways, they still are.

So as I think about this, let me just punch something up here quickly. As I think about this, and I look at the teams and their payrolls for 2026, when you look at it on paper, you would say, okay, well, when you start talking about the luxury tax, you know, the Yankees are at $337 million.

They're third in the game.

The Red Sox are sixth.

Now, the gap between the two based on luxury tax is fairly sizable.

But the point is the Yankees don't want to compete with the Los Angeles Dodgers either.

The Dodgers and the Mets, far and away the two highest

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