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Yankees' Betances: Price in Boston adds more spice to rivalry

Anthony Gruppuso / USA TODAY Sports

Dellin Betances certainly hears all the noise his neighbors north of the Bronx are making.

The New York Yankees' All-Star reliever believes the division became much tougher following David Price's reported $217-million deal with the Boston Red Sox this week - a challenge he fully accepts.

"If they wanted to make a statement, they definitely did," Betances told Mark Feinsand of the Daily News. "Adding an ace like Price is huge; he's a guy that works extremely hard, and is worth every penny of that deal.

"It definitely adds more spice to one of the biggest rivalries in sports. I can't wait for the 2016 season."

Related: The top 7 rivalries in MLB

One of baseball's greatest rivalries could definitely use a boost in flavor, as struggles from both clubs, in addition to several players retiring, have taken away some of the punch.

While Price's acquisition will certainly help, another element that might stoke the fire could come with David Ortiz's pending retirement at the end of the season. Ortiz complained last season about the rivalry fizzling out, and would likely love to go out beating his longtime foe.

"Back when I first got here, it was kind of a little wild the way things went. That was a big part of what this rivalry used to be," Ortiz told Tim Britton of the Providence Journal in April. "Because that isn't happening anymore, it seems like the rivalry's not the same.

"We want to beat up each other, but in a professional way. The beast mode is kind of down low."

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