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AL East Preview: Talented Orioles rule the roost once more

The AL East has always been one of baseball’s most competitive divisions, but in recent years it has taken things to another level as the division’s historic lightweights have elevated their games and emerged as serious contenders in their own right.

Lately the Red Sox haven’t been able to keep up, and the way things are shaping up they’ll have their hands full in the division once again. Here is how each of Boston’s AL East rivals look entering the new season.

Baltimore Orioles

Last year the Orioles emerged from a long and painful rebuild to establish themselves as one of the best teams in baseball, and now Baltimore looks set to take another step towards championship contention.

Led by young superstars like catcher Adley Rutschman and Rookie of the Year infielder Gunnar Henderson, the Orioles won 101 games to capture their first AL East championship since 2014. This year Rutschman and Henderson will return alongside fellow standouts like Anthony Santander and Cedric Mullins, and the starting rotation is now headlined by former Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes, who was acquired this winter in a blockbuster trade with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Even more help should be coming from within, starting with baseball’s No. 1 overall prospect Jackson Holliday, a 20-year-old superstar expected to make an impact in Baltimore’s infield sooner rather than later. All told the Orioles have five prospects ranked in the top 32 overall by MLB Pipeline, four of whom are either in Triple-A or have already reached the majors.

Best of all for Baltimore, the historically cash-strapped franchise may soon find itself with lots of money to spend once the Angelos family completes its sale of the Orioles to billionaire businessman David Rubenstein. That’s bad news for the rest of the AL East, but after a decade of futility the future is finally looking bright in Baltimore.

New York Yankees

Last year the Yankees endured one of their worst seasons in recent franchise history, limping to an 82-80 record and a fourth-place finish. They’ve since made it clear they won’t allow a similar disappointment to happen again.

Over the course of the winter the Yankees swung several big trades, none bigger than the blockbuster that landed MVP-candidate Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres. Soto is a superstar who boasts the best combination of power and plate discipline we’ve seen since Barry Bonds, and while the 25-year-old is expected to command a massive new deal in free agency this winter, he’ll first serve as a game-changing weapon to pair with Aaron Judge in the heart of New York’s lineup.

The Yankees also traded for former Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo, who is expected to slot in as New York’s new starting left fielder, and the club fortified its pitching staff by signing veteran starter Marcus Stroman in free agency.

New York still has its fair share of question marks, the biggest being the health of reigning Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole. If he’s sidelined for any length of time it will be a massive blow, but at full strength the Yankees are a much better team than a year ago and should have enough talent to get back into the postseason.

Tampa Bay Rays

Despite all of their financial limitations, the Tampa Bay Rays have consistently ranked among baseball’s best teams over the last five years. It’d seem foolish to bet against them this year, but for all their returning talent the Rays do have some serious questions entering 2024.

For one, franchise shortstop Wander Franco is gone and may never come back. The 23-year-old is currently under investigation in the Dominican Republic over an alleged inappropriate relationship with a minor and cannot legally enter the United States. He hasn’t played for the Rays since last August, when the disturbing details of the allegations first became public, and if charged and convicted Franco could spend over 20 years in prison.

Franco’s situation is very serious and has ramifications that run much deeper than baseball, but obviously it is also a nightmare scenario for the Rays, who have other problems as well. The club’s starting rotation is also in tatters as Shane McClanahan, Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen are all still recovering from elbow surgery, plus the Rays also traded away Tyler Glasnow to the Dodgers this winter.

Tampa Bay will likely still find a way to make it work. The club still has veterans Zach Elfin and Aaron Civale to anchor the rotation plus converted reliever Zack Littell and prospects like Shane Baz, Ryan Pepiot and Taj Bradley. Somehow the Rays always find a way, so don’t bet on them to falter despite their recent setbacks.

Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays are probably in the most precarious position of all Boston’s divisional rivals, but they should still have enough to remain in the playoff hunt.

Toronto still has Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, two of the best young players in baseball, and a strong rotation anchored by Cy Young finalist Kevin Gausman. George Springer is still an All-Star caliber outfielder when healthy, and Kevin Kiermaier remains one of the best defensive center fielders in the game.

The problem is Toronto hasn’t meaningfully upgraded their roster, and with a bottom-10 farm system there isn’t much help coming from within. The Blue Jays came up short this offseason in their pursuit of Shohei Ohtani and also lost Gold Glove third baseman Matt Chapman in free agency. They added veteran Justin Turner, who is coming off a good season in Boston and should provide a strong right-handed bat in the middle of the order, but beyond that the club mostly just added on the margins.

If Toronto isn’t careful their roster could suddenly get old and the whole house of cards could come falling down, but don’t bank on that happening just yet. The Blue Jays are still good enough to push for 90 wins, and if they reach their potential they should have a chance to earn a third straight playoff appearance.