The American League East should be one of the more competitive division in baseball in 2016. Most experts see any one of three teams with a great chance to win it: the New York Yankees, Toronto Blues Jays or Boston Red Sox. No matter who does, you should count on some serious offensive fireworks as all the aforementioned teams. And don’t forget about the Baltimore Orioles, who can put runs on the board with ease. The Tampa Bay Rays are an outlier when it comes to offensive production, but they should also be the mix most of the season (if they can keep up how they played in the second half of 2015).
Toronto Blue Jays
Odds to win World Series: 10/1
Notable Acquisitions: Drew Storen, J.A. Happ
Notable Losses: David Price, Ben Revere, Mark Buehrle
The Blue Jays will be good because this is the best offensive team in baseball. Last year, they scored more runs than any other team in the Majors and they could be even scarier this season with a full season of Troy Tulowitzki at shortstop. This is a team that also led the league in home runs.
The Jays are underrated defensively too as Tulo is part of a stellar group up the middle. and the back of their bullpen will not fritter away too many leads. The starting pitching is a question mark – especially after they let David Price sign with the Boston Red Sox in free agency – but they can still slug their way to the playoffs.
Boston Red Sox
Odds to win World Series: 14/1
Notable Acquisitions: David Price, Craig Kimbrel
Notable Losses: Wade Miley
The Red Sox will be good because they added two elite pitching talents to an already solid group. David Price might be the best starting pitcher in the American League and new closer Kimbrel is very tough to hit. He might be even tougher making his first trip through the American League. Boston should have a potent lineup from top to bottom and has a nice mix of experience and youthfulness.
New York Yankees
Odds to win World Series: 25/1
Notable Acquisitions: Aroldis Chapman, Starlin Castro, Aaron Hicks
Notable Losses: Justin Wilson, Chris Young, John Ryan Murphy
The Yankees will be good because after Chapman returns from suspension, they will be able to shorten the game as well or better than any team in the Majors. Combining Chapman with Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller gives them three of the toughest pitchers to hit in all of baseball, making comebacks seem near impossible. They finished second in runs scored last season (only Toronto had more) and if they can get Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury to stay healthy and do damage on the basepaths, this team could win the American League East.
Tampa Bay Rays
Odds to win World Series: 40/1
Notable Acquisitions: Chris Dickerson, Logan Morrison, Danny Farquhar
Notable Losses: Asdrubal Cabrera, John Jaso, Jake McGee
The Rays will be good because they have the pitching to be competitive and have tried to improve their offense too. Chris Archer could be the best starter in the division and they have tried to add some punch to the lineup in an effort to jumpstart Evan Longoria, whose career has stalled. This group is always tough to play against and even though they don’t make huge personnel moves, they have a good history of getting the most out of players.
Baltimore Orioles
Odds to win World Series: 40/1
Notable Acquisitions: Mark Trumbo, Pedro Alvarez, Yovani Gallardo
Notable Losses: Wei-Yin Chen, Steve Pearce
The Orioles will be good because they can out slug almost any opponent. The Orioles were dependent on the home run last year and they appear to have doubled down on that kind of production this offseason with the addition of Trumbo and Alvarez. They can mash opponents almost as well as Toronto and they are going to have to if they want to stay in the race this season.
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