Since the start of the playoffs, the BIG 2 have had their dirty laundry aired out and all things aren't honkey-dorey in Boston and New York.
In New York, Yankee fans were sitting on their hands and keeping their mouths shut for much of the playoffs because of the possibilities of their GM and Manager leaving for greener pastures. With time to think about it, Torre decided to come back and Cashman begrudgingly resigned with the Yankees. The Yankees roster is a bit of a mess with them being handcuffed by contracts of declining oldies, overpaid platooners and injuries laying waste to their bullpen. Tom Gordon and Matsui are the 2 "name" players who are entering Free Agency this offseason and they're only likely to keep one(Matsui). However if they re-sign Matsui, they're going to have to trade one of their other "name" players and take on some of the salary to clear money for him and the other Free Agents that they've signed.
In Boston, They're starting to prepare for another long wait for the next Boston World Championship. Manny wants to leave, again, and this time...it'll probably happen. Theo was in talks for awhile for a contract extension, however he surprised everyone and opted to Resign from the GM position and now Boston is without the person who brought the World Champion to Boston. Besides the possibility of losing Manny, they're most likely losing Jonny Damon and they're being dragged down by some of their horrible signings of the past(coughcoughRENTERIAcough). They've also got to fix their bullpen and figure out who they want to keep in the rotation and who they need to trade.
If the Rays make the right GM and Managerial picks, in addition to any player that they get in Free Agency...This may be the year that the Rays finish in the Top 3 of this division. The foundations are starting to crack for the long-time powerhouses and a small team like us may be able to slip through and give them some problems