Hot Stove Lunch: Winning is contagious -- and shared -- in Boston

Your turn, Red Sox.

On the heels of the latest Patriots Super Bowl win, it's the Red Sox who are up next.

What a bit of symmetry, huh? On Sunday night, the Pats win their sixth Super Bowl and on Monday morning, the Red Sox' truck heads for Fort Myers.

No overlap, no waiting. One day, it's football season, and the next, it's time for baseball. No chance to catch your breath.

Together, the two teams have combined for an astonishing 10 championships since 2002. In New England, you don't have to wait long for a parade -- and that's not counting the contributions from the Bruins and Celtics.

A number of Red Sox tweeted their support and congratulations to the Patriots in the wake of their win over the Rams Sunday night, including Alex Cora -- who congratulated "Mr. Belichick'' -- David Price and J.D. Martinez.

Trust me, that kind of kinship between teams in the same town is rare. But around here, the athletes become friendly and support one another. No doubt, the Patriots will play some sort of role in the Red Sox' home opener/flag-raising ceremony, just as the Red Sox were recognized back in November at Gillette after their World Series win over the Dodgers.

It's another reminder of how fortunate New England fans are to have two teams dominate their respective sports for the past decade or so...and to have them each root for the other in a rare bit of solidarity.

Elsewhere...

AL EAST 

Two new Yankee infielders will try to break the Coors Field curse.

The new Orioles manager can't wait to get started.

A ranking of the Rays' best pitching prospects.

Which Toronto starter will get the Opening Day assignment?

AL CENTRAL

An argument for the Twins to sign two free agent pitchers.

Did the Indians have a good or bad offseason?

Some bold predictions for the 2019 Tigers season.

Projecting the White Sox starting rotation.

AL WEST

The Astros and Chris Devenski avoided arbitration.

Here's why Joey Gallo isn't playing third base.

The Angels owe it to Mike Trout to upgrade their rotation.

Blake Treinen beat the A's in salary arbitration.

NATIONAL LEAGUE 

If only this catcher had worked out for the Expos...

HOT TAKE I MAY SOON REGRET

In the aftermath of the Patriots' Super Bowl win Sunday night, Julian Edelman became a big talking point.

Edelman was suspended last spring for PED use and, as a penalty, missed the first four weeks of the regular season. He then came back and served as Tom Brady's top pass-catching weapon, right up through the Super Bowl, for which he was named MVP.

Some pointed out that, had Edelman had been a baseball player, he would have been ineligible to take part in the postseason. Players who was caught violating baseball's PED policy are not allowed to take part in the postseason, even if they've already served their suspension.

I know that it's difficult to compare the two sports. Football is obviously a far more violent and physical sport than baseball, and trying to compare and contrast them is a fool's errand.

But I'll say this: baseball has done a good job in cleaning itself up from the PED use that rocked the game in the 1990s and early 2000s. Its drug policy is a tough one, for which baseball deserves some credit.

And anything that further discourages PED use and makes players think twice about using unfair enhancements is fine by me.