By Anthony Cardone

2018 was a disappointing year for baseball fans in New York. The Yankees were an inch away from a horrific loss to the Red Sox in the ALDS to lose the series 3-1. The Mets, even after a good start, got worse and worse after suffering many injuries during the season. But where do they stand heading into the 2019 season?

First, we’ll start off with the team from the Bronx. Is it a “World Series or go home” type of year? The Yankees are probably the favorites to win the division, even though the Red Sox are the defending champs. Boston hasn’t had an explosive offseason, except for re-signing a few players like Nathan Eovaldi and World Series MVP Steve Pearce. The Rays are going to be an interesting team to watch; this season, however, the Blue Jays and Orioles are probably going to have to wait another year for a ring.

The Yankees, on the other hand, have gone all-out and still might not be done. They have acquired James Paxton and signed DJ Lemahieu, Zach Britton, Troy Tulowitzki, J.A. Happ, Adam Ottavino and even extended Luis Severino during this offseason. A bunch of big names have been added and especially to their bullpen, which is now the best in baseball by far.

The Yankees addressed their problems but probably still need one more starting pitcher to beat the Red Sox or Astros in a series. However, they are definitely a playoff team and should go deep in the playoffs.

Now for the team in Queens. The Mets have exploded this offseason with their new GM, Brodie Van Wagenen. With a huge deal with Seattle the Mets acquired Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz and also signed Jeurys Familia, Wilson Ramos and Jed Lowrie. The Mets have also acquired JD Davis and Keon Broxton in small but underrated trades.

Now who knows where they stand in the division race, because the Phillies and Nationals are both in the running for Bryce Harper and the Phillies could have Manny Machado as well. The Mets are an interesting team to watch this season because their roster is certainly deeper. Their rotation will stay the same and hopefully remain healthy.

They have built up a strong bullpen and signed one of the best catchers in the league. It really is a four-team race for the NL East and really any team’s chance to win. The Braves are an up-and-coming team that has signed some key players that could also make a division run. It is definitely the most competitive division in baseball as of right now. Would I say playoffs for the Mets? Probably, but most likely as a wild card team.

So New York definitely has a great season to look forward to in 2019 and both teams will be highly competitive. And who knows, we could always have another Subway Series for a World Series in the next fall classic.