AL East Notes: Yankees, Red Sox, Hanrahan

Right-hander Derek Lowe wasn't off to a great start in 2012 but managed to finish out the year strong with the Yankees after signing in August.  The veteran posted a 5.52 ERA with 3.1 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 21 starts for the Indians but had a 3.04 ERA with 5.3 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in pinstripes as a reliever.  However, as we learned earlier today, he's still looking for an opportunity to start.  Here's more out on the Yanks and the rest of the AL East..

• The Yankees may be a team in transition, but Richard Justice of MLB.com refuses to count them out in 2013.  For the Bombers to win, however, they'll need a right-handed hitting outfielder to balance their three left-handed hitting outfielders. They also need the newly-acquired Kevin Youkilis, who was signed to fill-in for Alex Rodriguez while he recovers from hip surgery, to stay healthy.
• The Red Sox's trade for Joel Hanrahan could signal that the front office believes that they can contend next season, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com.  If the deal is built around a player other than Hanrahan who can be controlled for multiple years, then that may not be the exact case. But if Hanrahan is the true centerpiece of the swap and the other player is more of a complementary piece, then it could mean that Boston expects to win next year.
• The Red Sox won't be announcing any of their pending moves over the next couple of days, according to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe (on Twitter).  That would presumably pertain to the aforementioned Hanrahan trade and the delayed Mike Napoli deal.