AL East: a proper minefield this season (MLB)
If you follow MLB, you know the American League East is where the sparks fly. Last year the race went off the rails — Toronto and New York finished on 94 wins, Boston wasn’t far behind, and the Rays and Orioles both flopped. Forget last season. This year the elbows will be out and everyone’s piled in. Here’s how the toughest division in baseball looks heading into the new campaign.
Blue Jays on a knife-edge, Yankees bleeding on the injury list
Can Toronto do it again? Don’t bet the house on it. George Springer is 36 and you can’t expect him to carry the lineup alone for a full season. Same for last year’s surprise performers like Lukes and Clement — seasons like that are rarely repeatable. The real problem? The rotation. Going to war with Bieber, Berríos and Yesavage sidelined is shooting yourself in the foot. At least Vladdy Guerrero Jr. can still clear the fences. Call them around 91 wins.
The Yankees read scary on paper — Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, Jazz Chisholm. The bullpen finally looks legit with Bednar and Doval to shut games down. The kicker? The rotation’s a wreck before the first pitch. Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón and Clarke Schmidt are already on the mend. Giancarlo Stanton’s health has turned into a running gag. If the rotation holds together with chewing-tape and prayer, they might scrape to 91 wins. It’s a huge if.
Boston wants to smash the place, Baltimore brings the big bats
Watch the Red Sox this year. They’ve used their time and rebuilt the rotation, adding Sonny Gray and Ranger Suárez. Offensively they’ve upgraded too, bringing in Wilson Contreras to steady a bunch of hungry youngsters like Roman Anthony and Jarren Duran. The roster is ridiculously young — about 25 on average if you strip out the vets — so expect wild swings. But if things click, they can rob the division. Our pick: 92 wins.
Baltimore had enough after last year’s collapse (a miserable 75 wins). Their answer was to open the wallet and add pure power. Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward bring something like 74 homers to the lineup on paper. Mix in Gunnar Henderson and an Adley Rutschman who has to bounce back, and this club will hit. Trouble is, top prospects like Jackson Holliday start the year injured. Still, expect a big step forward — about 87 wins.
Tampa Bay’s art of survival in MLB
The Rays will do what the Rays always do: tinker, squeeze value, and annoy everybody. They added Gavin Lux and Cedric Mullins for depth, while leaning on huge upside from Junior Caminero (22) and the wheels of Chandler Simpson. On the hill it’s the usual committee, run by Kevin Cash — one of the sharpest managers in baseball. It won’t win the division, but it’ll grab the usual 82 wins and be the perfect spoiler.
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