*Photo from CBS Sports*
Since it's March, and opening day is 3 weeks away, it's time for another year of the team previews on the blog, starting with, as always, the AL East. Let's take a look at how these teams figure to shake up this year
*Photo from Viator*
New York Yankees
2020 record: 33-27
The Yankees, despite some offseason turnover, remain one of the AL juggernauts. They replaced Masahiro Tanaka, JA Happ, and James Paxton in the rotation with some question marks, but if Corey Kluber and Jameson Taillon can stay healthy, they should be fine in that area. The bullpen still looks very good, with Aroldis Chapman, Zack Britton, and now Justin Wilson headlining that group. They brought back DJ Lemahieu, and the lineup still looks fearsome, that is, if everyone doesn't get injured again like 2019 and 2020.
*Photo from DRays Bay*
Tampa Bay Rays
2020 record: 40-20
The Rays had a spectacular season last year, dethroning the Yankees at the top of the AL East, and making it all the way to the World Series, before losing in 6 games to the Dodgers. This winter, the Rays lost ace pitchers Blake Snell and Charlie Morton, so they probably won't be as good as they were in 2020. However, they still can't be counted out, because their lineup is still loaded, and they will develop their young pitchers to be as good as Snell and Morton in short order. It's what the Rays do.
*Photo from Over The Monster*
Boston Red Sox
2020 record: 24-36
2020 was not a very good year in Boston. Everything that could've gone wrong, went wrong. However, the Red Sox did make their team better this winter. Kike Hernandez, Marwin Gonzalez, and Hunter Renfroe join a core of Alex Verdugo, Xander Bogaerts, JD Martinez, Rafael Devers, and Bobby Dalbec in the order, while bounce back candidate Garrett Richards joins Eduardo Rodriguez, Nathan Eovaldi, Nick Pivetta, and Martin Perez in the rotation, plus a midseason return by Chris Sale. The bullpen added Hirokazu Sawamura and Adam Ottavino, joining Matt Barnes, Ryan Brasier, and Darwinzon Hernandez as the high leverage arms out there. 2021 will be far better then 2020 for the Red Sox, but they'll probably miss the playoffs by a few games.
*Photo from Bluebird Banter*
Toronto Blue Jays
2020 record: 32-28
2020 was a boon for the Blue Jays, who saw the young core of Guerrero, Biggio, and Bichette, combined with a surging Teoscar Hernandez and ace Hyun-Jin Ryu, make the playoffs in their new window. This offseason was also a boon. Kirby Yates, George Springer, Marcus Semien, and Steven Matz are the big names coming to town. Those guys, combined with top pitching prospect Nate Pearson, returning Robbie Ray, and guys like Danny Jansen, Rowdy Tellez, Ross Stripling, and Randal Grichuk, make Toronto a formidable team entering this season. Their contending window just opened right up.
*Photo from the Baltimore Sun*
Baltimore Orioles
2020 record: 25-35
2020 was again not a good season for the rebuilding Orioles, but there is reason for hope. The Chris Davis contract still weighs them down, but top prospect Ryan Mountcastle debuted and had a good showing in 2020, as did Anthony Santander. Plus, their best hitter, Trey Mancini, is returning in 2021 after his bout with cancer that forced him to miss the 2020 season. John Means is back to lead the rotation, and adding Freddy Galvis to the infield picture helps a bit. Baltimore won't make much noise this season, but progress in the rebuild is the name of the game here.
Division assessment:
The AL East is once again stacked. The Red Sox got better, the Blue Jays got a lot better, the Rays are still the Rays, and the Yankees are still the Yankees, albeit a little more cautious about spending money. The only team in this division that is truly out of the playoff race is Baltimore. Expect the AL East to be a bloodbath this season, as we have 4 good teams in this division once again.
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