Tampa Bay steps up as new rival

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - There's a new villain in your life.

Well, perhaps "villain" isn't the proper word. How about "adversary"? And when you look at the age and contractual composition of both teams, they figure to be hearty adversaries for the next several years.

"I would agree with you," said Rays manager Joe Maddon. "The way this season played out, the closeness of the games, the intensity of the games, the fact that we've finally been able to arrive at the level of the Red Sox in regard to playing on the field and as an organization, I think we're on our way there, also."

This is the natural order of things in the American League East. Since the three-division format was adopted for the 1995 season, there always has been one major rivalry.

First it was New York and Baltimore. It may be difficult for the young'uns among us to imagine a time when the Orioles were a threat to anyone but themselves, but those of us with a little more seasoning knew a time, and a very lengthy time at that, when the Orioles were the class of not just the division, but of the American League. They set the tone and the standard, and they still had something to offer as late as 1997, when they defeated the Mariners in the Division Series before losing a six-game American League Championship Series to the Indians.

Then, of course, we had the Yankees and Red Sox, who finished 1-2 in the AL East standings in some order every year from 1999 through 2005 and again in 2007. They faced each other in the ALCS in 1999, 2003, and 2004, and, to tell the truth, I can see your eyes glazing over right now as you say, "When are you going to tell me something I don't know?"

And so, yes, I know you know the Red Sox-Yankee thing goes way back and way beyond the institution of the three-division league and the three-tier postseason. All I'm saying is that even if the typical Red Sox fan's DNA did not predispose him or her to loathe all things Yankee, a clear and distinct rivalry would have been fashioned simply because that team from New York was the one rival that was always in the way.

(The Boston-New York thing transcends baseball. But I believe that stuff has been covered once or twice, so we'll just move on.)

Now we have something new.

The ALCS between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays heralds the new order of things in the AL East. Both teams are built to last. Barring unforeseen personnel disasters of a very large magnitude, these teams should be the titans of the division for the next few years, at least.

The Red Sox have more work to do. That is clear. They may or may not need a catcher in 2009. If they find a way to retain Jason Varitek's services, they may have to find a better offensive threat as a backup than Kevin Cash. But if you assume Mike Lowell will heal that hip and give them a solid 95-RBI year (which, after all, is what they're paying for), they are in good shape everywhere else on the diamond.

Shortstop will sort itself out. There is a concern about Jed Lowrie's left-side hitting, but he was more than satisfactory in every other way. It is very hard to believe that there was so much concern about his ability to play major league shortstop. Julio Lugo has two more years on that four-year, $36 million deal. Theo will think of something.

The oldest regular on Opening Day 2009 will be David Ortiz, who turns 33 Nov. 18. This has been a rough year for Papi, and his injured wrist is a concern. Lowell, Jason Bay, J.D. Drew, and Kevin Youkilis can hit home runs, but with Manny Ramírez gone forever, Papi is the only seriously big thumper left. If he is in any kind of serious decline, that will change the equation, no doubt. It would be foolish to pretend this isn't a concern.

The full rotation is unclear. Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, and Daisuke Matsuzaka are givens, and that becomes a very formidable 1-2-3 if Beckett returns to being the Beckett of 2007. Will Tim Wakefield, whose 10-11 record deserved to be 14-8, be back for year No. 15? And if not, why not? The fifth starter could be Clay Buchholz, Michael Bowden, Justin Masterson, or Mr. X. (You think Theo doesn't have a list of cost-effective possibilities?) Not bad.

And Jonathan Papelbon isn't going anywhere.

Now take a look at the Rays.

They are set at catcher, first, second, short, third, left, and center. Right field is unsettled, but it is hardly a disaster. If that Fernando Perez kid can play, they would have a frighteningly fast outfield. They could do better at DH than Cliff Floyd, but they could do a whole lot worse, too. It's a very good lineup, and, the 35-year-old Floyd aside, the oldest one is Carlos Peña, who turns 31 May 17. They aren't ordering any walkers for these guys is what I'm saying.

And the pitching staff? Don't ask. James Shields, Scott Kazmir, Matt Garza, Andy Sonnanstine, and Edwin Jackson make the best five-man rotation in baseball (maybe not the best 1-2, or 1-2-3, but easily the best five), and the oldest among them is Shields, who will turn 27 Dec. 20. Meanwhile, they've got David Price, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 draft, standing by.

They do need a closer, big time. They somehow squeezed 28 saves out of comebacking Troy Percival, but he was something of an ulcer-carrier and he's out with a back injury. Maddon is trying to mix 'n' match his way home at the end of a game with Grant Balfour, Dan Wheeler, J.P. Howell, Trever Miller, and Chad Bradford. It's getting harder and harder to pull off. Even if he gets by the Red Sox, he's going to have a very difficult time trying to get through the power-laden Phillies with no real closer.

That's an issue the Rays must address before the start of the 2009 season. But they have very few other problems. They have a full seat at the adult table. No more card table for them.

"It makes life in the American League East difficult," admitted Terry Francona. "We all know what the Yankees are capable of doing. The Blue Jays have an unbelievable pitching staff and some injuries that maybe kept their [win] total down this year.

"And then all of a sudden you've got another team that comes out and wins 97 games. It makes life very difficult, and it's not going to get easier because they're not going to go away."

Does this make Evan Longoria the new Derek Jeter? You decide.

Bob Ryan is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at ryan@globe.com.