So the deal that the New York Post affectionately deemed New York’s “Biggest Since Babe” has finally gone through. Alex Rodriguez is officially a Yankee, George Steinbrenner is officially a spoiled little convicted felon, Brian Cashman is officially off the hook for now, Joe Torre officially has far too many egos for one clubhouse and the greatest rivalry in sports has now officially become wicked outta’ control.

So now what?

Well for one thing, there is no reason for despair here in Red Sox Nation’s westernmost outpost. Contrary to popular belief, the A-Rod trade does not put the Yankees over the top as the greatest team since Mr. Burn’s company softball team. In fact, it doesn’t even make them the best team in their own division.

What it does do is establish what we already know: Georgie Porgie will stop at nothing to accentuate the fact that the Yankees have an unfair advantage that no other team in professional sports can boast; that being unlimited resources.

What the A-Rod situation has shown about the comparison between baseball’s most expensive team, the Yankees, and its second most expensive, the Red Sox, is that when a player like Rodriguez is there for the taking, Boston has a limit on how much money it has to spend and New York simply does not.

Are the Yankees better than the Red Sox now, at this point, with Rodriguez? I say no, and for a number of reasons. First of all, few have talked about what the Yankees are giving up in this deal. Alfonso Soriano, when he’s right, is as tough an out as there is in the American League. He is a five-tool player with the quickest hands this side of Gary Sheffield, and if there is anyone in baseball who could become the next A-Rod, it’s him.

When you take his numbers and compare them to Rodriguez, there just isn’t that significant of a difference in what was a down year for both players. While Rodriguez hit .298 with 47 homeruns and 118 runs batted in, Soriano checked in at .290 with 38 homers and 91 RBI.

Sure there is a difference of nine round trippers and 27 RBI, but when you consider that Soriano’s numbers came out of the leadoff spot, it’s tough to make a case for Rodriguez making a significant difference on statistics alone. If given the opportunity to drive in runs from the heart of an order, there’s no saying what Soriano could have done.

Second of all, how will Rodriguez not only react to moving positions, but to moving out of the primary limelight? In both Texas and Seattle, Rodriguez was the main attraction as he established himself as the best player in baseball. Now that he’s in New York that will change.

The Yankees are Derek Jeter’s team, which is why it’s Rodriguez and not Jeter that is moving to third. Can A-Rod play third? Probably, but it’s worth considering that there may be some growing pains. Can he handle being second fiddle to a player who is his baseball inferior (Jeter), an owner who is inferior in many capacities and to the Yankee name which is supposedly above focusing on any one individual? That remains to be seen.

With that in mind, how will the Yankees handle their new collection of egos? Three years ago, it was unselfish players like Paul O’Neill, Tino Martinez and Scott Brosius who patrolled the Stadium clubhouse, deferring any and all matters to Jeter, Steinbrenner and manager Joe Torre. Now, it’s a hodge-podge collection of personalities, varying in age from relatively young (A-Rod) to relatively washed-up (Kenny Lofton), and of course the always-lovely Gary Sheffield.

For Jeter, the challenge will arrive in a most uncomfortable form. The Yankees shortstop is widely considered a legend, however he is not a great player. He is certainly a very good player, and a very clutch player, but 10 homers and 52 RBI’s is great only in New York. How will the Yankee captain react to being shown up by none other than his partner on the left side of the infield? When A-Rod puts up numbers far beyond what Jeter could ever dream of in 2004, how will No. 2 deal with being the captain of a team that he is no longer the star of?

Do these Yankees have the potential to blow up? Yes sir, they do. It will be quite interesting to see how the enigmatic personalities of Sheffield, Lofton and Kevin Brown react to not only the intense pressure and scrutiny of playing and winning in New York, but doing so with each other. If any one of them folds and/or pulls a Hideki Matsui and refuses to hit the ball hard in the air, it has the potential to crack the entire team.

Finally, Mr. And Ms. Yankee fan reading this column, who is going to play second base? Trading for Rodriguez certainly fills a hole at third, but in the same stroke opens a gaping one at second. Is Enrique Wilson the answer? The Red Sox fan hopes so, as he is as far from every-day capable as possible, and is the sole factor keeping the Yankees from having a truly “great” lineup. The Sox of 2003 had no easy outs one-through-nine, and the Yankees of 2004, with Wilson and a deteriorating Lofton, nearly have two.

Mike Marzelli is a Collegian columnist. He can be reached at [email protected]