In this series, I will be previewing each team's season this year, by division. We start with the AL East.
New York Yankees:
Wow, this team has world series potential right here. After Signing Troy Tulowitzki and DJ Lemahieu, and trading for James Paxton, this team is a serious threat. As a Red Sox fan, it pains me to say that. Not only will Aaron Judge continue blasting dingers, Giancarlo Stanton, who struggled last season, has a year of American League pitching under his belt, meaning he could get a little more dangerous this season. Aaron Hicks is currently injured, and ace Luis Severino could miss significant time this season, but their bullpen is dangerous. They lost David Robertson, but they got Adam Ottavino to replace him, and Ottavino is a significant upgrade from Robertson. They also re-signed Zach Britton. It's world series or bust for this team and their fans.
Boston Red Sox:
Despite losing Drew Pomeranz, Ian Kinsler, Joe Kelly, and Craig Kimbrel to free agency, and losing Steven Wright to suspension, these Red Sox are still loaded. Their lineup is still dangerous, with Boston's own killer B's in Betts, Benintendi, and Bogaerts up top, and let's not forget about JD Martinez. Their super-utility man Brock Holt is back, hotshot 3rd baseman Rafael Devers is poised for a big season, and Steve Pearce is back to smash dingers onto Lansdowne Street. They also have speedy Eduardo Nunez, and Dustin Pedroia is back to playing, and has looked good in the spring. Their starting rotation hasn't changed, with Sale, Porcello, and David Price looking to be the top three starters again. Nathan Eovaldi and Eduardo Rodriguez will anchor the back of the rotation, and I expect good things from E-rod this year. The major question mark is the bullpen, but with the excellent starting pitching back in Beantown, the bullpen shouldn't be needed much. Despite lower chances of repeating, the Sox will fight for every inch, and still have a strong chance.
Baltimore Orioles
If there's one word to sum up this team, it would be yikes. Last season was absolutely terrible for Baltimore, and this year along with at least 2 or 3 more is looking to be the same. There's nothing to get people excited here. They don't have any star players, Chris Davis' megadeal is turning into a spectacular failure, and Dylan Bundy, the man who gave up seven first inning runs against Kansas City last season, is their best pitcher. Yikes. There is nothing to look forward to here. I expect these guys to well exceed 100 losses.
Toronto Blue Jays
This team just looks bland. There's nothing outstanding in the lineup, and the pitching is very hit or miss. Marcus Stroman is back, but what else is there to look forward too? I guess Kevin Pillar's amazing catches in center field is a sight to see. They have exciting prospects like Vladimir Guerrero Jr and Bo Bichette, but they are both a year or two away from the majors. This year, they should be fourth in their divison. At least they're better than Baltimore?
Tampa Bay Rays
This team is gonna be pretty mediocre. I peg them to straddle .500 like a mechanical bull this season. They've got Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell at the top of the rotation, but that's about it. I think Rays fans better hope Sergio Romo isn't forced to start back to back games like he was last year. Their lineup has top prospect Austin Meadows, but they lost CJ Cron to Minnesota. Their lineup will be very hit or miss, and the bullpen looks very sketchy.
Divison assessment:
There will be intense battling between the Yankees and Red Sox for the division lead, and I'm really looking forward to those games. Heck, I have a ticket for one of them at the end of the season, when the division races ramp up. Other then those two teams, this division figures to be pretty bad this season, with no question as to who will finish last(Baltimore). AL Central preview coming tomorrow.
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