Predictions for the AL East

New York Yankees: Baseball's most hated team lost several key players to injury last year, yet still mustered a 96 win season. Brett Gardner missed nearly all of 2012 with an elbow injury he suffered diving for a line drive in early April. Mariano Rivera tore his ACL shagging fly balls in early May. Without these two pieces, they were able to overcome Tampa Bay and Baltimore to win the East. They will have both players back for 2013, along with Derek Jeter. Regardless of how well Jeter rebounds, though, it is difficult to see the Yankees repeating as Division champs. To the satisfaction of the fans of the 29 other teams, the Yankees are getting old. Rivera, Jeter, Mark Teixeira, and Andy Pettitte are on the wrong side of 30. The best way to solve the age factor in baseball is to balance it with youth, and the Yankees have very little of that. Pitching prospect Manny Banuelos had Tommy John surgery during the offseason and won't see any action in 2013. Former top prospect Dellin Betances lost complete his control in 2012, and at the age of 25, is dangerously close to being labeled a bust if he can't get it together soon. None of their other heralded prospects, such as Gaby Sanchez and Mason Williams, are in line to contribute until 2015 at the earliest. With aging stars and little to no youth to speak of, Robinson Cano and CC Sabathia will prevent the Yankees from being less than average. Unfortunately for the Bronx Bombers, average, or even above average, won't cut it in the East this year. Somebody has to get last in every division.


Boston Red Sox: Nothing went right for Boston in 2012, as they stumbled their way to a 69 win season. Chemistry problems were abundant, and Bobby Valentine's tenure as manager ended as quickly as it started. The Sox couldn't win at home, and they couldn't beat sub .500 teams. Ironically, they ended up with a winning record against teams with above .500 records, though they brought up the bottom of the East in most other statistical categories. To right the ship, President Ben Cherington and Co. brought in a group of talented players through free agency and trades. Reliever Joel Hanrahan, who was acquired in a trade with Pittsburgh in December, is coming off of back to back solid seasons, including a 1.83 ERA in 2011. Ryan Dempster was having a career year in 2012 until being traded to Texas at the deadline. He fell apart soon afterwards, but if he can perform at a level even close to as well as he did during early 2012,  his two year, 26.5 million dollar deal will look like a very smart investment. The other large offseason investment was Mike Napoli, who is more of a wildcard than anything. His hip condition will definitely limit his productivity, but his contract is club friendly, so the Red Sox can only benefit from his acquisition. Top prospect Jackie Bradley Jr. is likely going to make the opening day roster, backing up Jacoby Ellsbury in center field. Blue Jays manager John Farrell was hired as the new manager, and the media circus that surrounded Boston last year seems to be more calm (for now). Even with the three very nice acquisitions, everyone is writing off the Sox as the cellar dwellers for 2013. If Dustin Pedroia,  Ellsbury, and the Red Sox finish in last, like they are projected to, it is more of a testament to the strength of the East.

Tampa Bay Rays: The 2012-2013 offseason for Rays General Manager Andrew Friedman was about trading the good present for a better future. Friedman worked out a trade with the Kansas City Royals to send ace James Shields and Wade Davis to Kaufman, and in return received top prospect Wil Myers and a truck load of other prospects. For 2013, the Rays pitching staff will be without two major pieces. On the other hand, Wil Myers is a star in the making, and should begin to contribute in May or June. Along with Myers, they acquired Jake Odorizzi, who projects to be a middle of the rotation starter in the near future. Had B.J. Upton stayed around, the Rays could be contenders this year, but instead he decided to take the free agent route and sign in Atlanta, where his brother Justin would be traded to soon after. Tampa Bay has a very talented core of young players, including all star third baseman Evan Longoria, 2012 Cy Young winner David Price, and a potential star in the making in Desmond Jennings. It would be no surprise to anyone if this team wins 90 games yet again, and they seem the most likely to do just that. 90 games might not be enough to land a top two spot in the loaded East, though. 

Baltimore Orioles: The Orioles shocked everyone last year, winning 93 games and securing a wildcard spot in the playoffs. With the bevy of talented youth that Buck Showalter amassed, it was no surprise that the Orioles were scary good; it was surprising that they were good so soon. 2012 saw Adam Jones have the best statistical season of his career (in nearly every category) and Chris Davis hit career highs in home runs (33) and RBI's (85). Matt Wieters hit a new career high in home runs (23) and further established himself as the catcher of the future in Camden Yards. The 2012 campaign also saw Wei-Yin Chen mow down hitters through the first half of his inaugural season in the U.S, though he began to struggle towards the end of the year, likely do to fatigue. Jim Johnson got his name on the map, saving 51 games in 54 opportunities. Despite having career years from all of these players, the Orioles still finished second in the powerhouse Al East, and have not done much in the offseason to improve from last season. Having a full season of Manny Machado in 2013 will likely help, seeing as his call up in August proved very beneficial. The other major addition the club could make soon is a call up of top prospect Dylan Bundy, who projects to be a top of the rotation starter. Baltimore will again be towards the top of the top of the East, and they should be able to take the division if they can avoid offensive regression among their younger hitters. The worst case scenario for this team should be a wildcard berth.

Toronto Blue Jays: No team had a busier offseason than the Blue Jays, taking part in two seperate blockbuster trades. The first, which involved taking on the 2012 Miami Marlins' roster in exchange for their farm system, was among the more controversial trades in recent memory. Miami sent Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Jose Reyes, John Buck, and Emilio Bonafacio to Toronto in exchange for talented prospects Adeiny Hechavarria, Jake Marisnick, and Justin Nicolino. The Jays may have just traded their farm system away for the colossal failure that was the 2012 Marlins. Alternatively, they may have just put together the most talented team in the East. Combining the light tower power of Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion with star short stop Jose Reyes looks fantastic on paper. The other huge move of the offseason for Toronto was trading top prospect Travis d'Arnaud to the Mets in exchange for Cy Young award winner R.A. Dickey. D'Arnaud was thought to be their catcher of the future, but in a textbook win-now move, Jays General Manager Alex Anthropoulos exchanged him for the 38 year old knuckleballer. Having given away the majority of their once brimming farm system for a collection of veteran players, Anthropoulos' Jays do not have a large window. If new manager John Gibbons can build the chemistry that Ozzie Guillen couldn't in South Beach, the Blue Jays certainly have the talent to take the East. This season should go one of two ways for Toronto: a Frankenstein team that ends in disastrous fashion, or an elite club heading to the playoffs. Paper says it will be the latter, history says otherwise.

*All statistics courtesy of Baseballreference.com