“Show me the money,” famously said David Ortiz, and this time, the Red Sox appear to have obliged. After a few quiet years, Boston’s front office is again on the warpath, acquiring big-name players such as Crochet, Bregman, and Buehler. And who’s the vanguard of the faithful? Pedro Martinez is sending a message to the AL East—beware.

“I believe so,” said Martinez with the confidence of a designated hitter on a recent podcast when asked about the Red Sox comeback.“If anybody stumbles in the East, I think we’re going to be the next team chasing around.” Sure, he admits, Baltimore and Toronto have some good players, and let’s not forget the Yankees, but Martinez sees one crucial advantage this year: “Our pitching, our difference is going to be improved this year and we have more experience now than we did last year.”

Martinez isn’t merely peddling hype. He’s referring to actual changes. Last year, he says, opposing teams had a sense that the Red Sox pitchers “were going to give up at some point.” Not so this year.“If we happen to go healthy all year with the kind of violence we have and the kind of offense we have, we could give a lot of these teams in the East a lot of headaches,” Martinez warned. And he doesn’t mean just the regular season.“Not only the East in the postseason.”

Yet Martinez doesn’t ignore history. He sees a weak point: defense.“I think just not having proper defense was a big, big humongous low part for the team,” he confessed. If they reduce the fielding blunders, the Red Sox have a good shot. But Martinez believes that if Boston’s big bucks start paying off, the Mighty Yankees  will be in big trouble.

Martinez’s words, Boston’s burden: Hope vs. Harsh reality

Sure, Buehler’s a big name, but let’s face it—he’s recovering from major surgery. The American Journal of Sports Medicine found that pitchers over 30 with past injuries have a significantly 30% higher risk of getting hurt again. Which is a risk. And if he goes down again, what’s the backup plan? The Red Sox are betting on a has-been, and that’s always a gamble.

A bunch of stars doesn’t make a winning team. As former MLB manager Tony La Russa puts it, “Clubhouse chemistry is more delicate than a lot of people realize.”One bad apple can spoil the whole bunch. How does Alex Cora handle egos when there’s no clear role? What if Bregman comes up against Devers? These are genuine worries, and history is full of talented teams that disintegrated. 

Look, the AL East is a gauntlet. The numbers show the AL East has been the most competitive division in MLB for the last half-decade. All of a sudden, spending money doesn’t make the Red Sox the kings of the hill, either. The Orioles are supercharged, the Yankees will reload, and the Blue Jays are a threat. It’s a bloodbath of a division, and the Red Sox are jumping into the deep end.

That burden of expectation, that high-risk bet, is now placed on every player, every coach, and every front office. “We are gonna be the next team chasing around,” Martinez said. It’s a pretty sweeping claim, but if it comes from a Hall of Famer, it means something. But now it’s not just a matter of spending money or acquiring talent—it’s about fulfilling the dreams of a city.

The Red Sox have a stronger pitching rotation, a more potent offense, and are tightening up their defense—all signs that they intend to reclaim the AL East. And Pedro Martinez, not to mention a whole city eager to prove itself, is making sure everybody hears it. So the question is: Is this the year the Red Sox reclaim their throne?