The New York Yankees were absolutely rolling until last week. The Yankees had lost three in a row only once all season before dropping three straight and four out of five against Cincinnati and Houston. New York’s mini slump opened the door for the Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox to close the gap at the top of the American League East. All three teams clearly have their strengths and weaknesses. Winning the AL East might come down to which team is best able to overcome its weakness. Here is a look at the weakest link for each American League East team.
New York Yankees: First Base
Greg Bird seemed poised to produce at an All-Star level this season when he hit .451 with eight home runs in 63 plate appearances in the spring. However, the 24-year-old hit just .100 over his first 72 at-bats during the regular season before landing on the DL with an ankle injury. Chris Carter hasn’t exactly lit it up in Bird’s absence as he has hit .200 with a strikeout rate that has hovered around 35.3-percent. Bird will eventually return but New York will need more out of him when he is back in order to make first base a position of strength rather than a weakness.
Baltimore Orioles: Shortstop
Baltimore’s bats have underachieved for the most part so far this season. However, their lineup is too talented not to turn things around following a relatively slow start. One potential weakness the Orioles might address is the shortstop position. After dealing with injuries the last two years, J.J. Hardy’s production has slowed down quite a bit. Baltimore could address the weak link by trading for a shortstop at the trade deadline. Cincinnati’s Zack Cozart is one name that has been linked to the Orioles. Cozart is having an excellent season so far and could be the perfect fit for Baltimore.
Boston Red Sox: Third Base
The Red Sox traded away Travis Shaw and Yoan Moncada before the season started. That left Pablo Sandoval as their best option at third base. The 30-year-old Sandoval struggled with a .213 average before landing on the DL with a knee sprain. Brock Holt is dealing with vertigo and Marco Hernandez has a shoulder injury, which has completely destroyed Boston’s depth at the position. The Red Sox could be interested in a player like Mike Moustakas or Todd Frazier. Both would represent significant upgrades at the position. Boston is clearly looking to contend for a World Series this season. The Red Sox will need to upgrade at third base in order for that to happen.
Tampa Bay Rays: Catcher
Tampa Bay might not contend for a playoff spot this season but they have hovered around the .500 mark through the first seven weeks of the season and certainly can’t be overlooked. The Rays rank in the top-10 in runs scored and the top-10 in runs allowed so they certainly have the potential to do better. One area they will eventually upgrade is catcher, where offseason signing Wilson Ramos is making progress and could begin his rehab assignment later this month. Derek Norris has done a decent job defensively but Ramos will represent a substantial upgrade at the plate.
Toronto Blue Jays: Second Base
Injuries have absolutely destroyed the Blue Jays early on this season. That’s why they are in the American League East basement. Josh Donaldson, Troy Tulowitzki and Russell Martin are among the big names that are on the DL. It certainly doesn’t help that a number of players have also underachieved for Toronto this year. Devon Travis is one player that hasn’t lived up to expectations. The 26-year-old hit .301 with 19 home runs, 46 doubles and 85 RBI over his first two seasons in the majors. This year he is hitting just .205 with one home run. The Blue Jays need their star players to get back in the lineup but they also need their healthy players to produce at a high level then they have to this point. Travis is one player that needs to step up in order to address perhaps the biggest weak link that Toronto has been forced to deal with up to this point.
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