2016 AL East Preview

The AL East is going to be one of the most interesting divisions in baseball, even though there is one team clearly better than the rest. This division could send two teams to the playoffs, and might also sport one of the worst in baseball. The battle for second place could be interesting.

AL EAST (PROJECTED FINISH)

#1 Toronto Blue Jays (92-70) : The Blue Jays can hit! This lineup is loaded, and that's before rookie sensation Devon Travis comes back from off-season shoulder surgery. The Blue Jays will likely be one of if not the best offenses in baseball this year, combine that with a decent rotation and they could be World Series bound. The top of the rotation isn't as frightening as it was in 2015, but Marcus Stroman could be a real surprise. The bullpen should be good as well, so the Blue Jays seem to be the most complete team in the division.

#2 Boston Red Sox (88-74) : The Red Sox find themselves in a bit of a pickle this season, and they won't have any rest in the playoff hunt. It's doubtful they will be better than Toronto, and they are going to have the Yankees on their back all season. They need their rotation to come up big time if they plan on getting very far, but outside of David Price that's a big question mark. They should be good to very good on offense, so they have a solid chance at winning against anyone.

#3 New York Yankees (86-76) : The Yankees are at a bizarre crossroads as the core of this team is very old. They only have three projected starters under the age of 32, and Carlos Beltran is nearly 40. They made some trades to get a little younger on offense (2B/SS Starlin Castro) and strengthen their bullpen to the point that their 7th-Set Up-Closer combination (Dellin Betances-Andrew Miller-Aroldis Chapman) has the potential to be an all-time great. If SP Masahiro Tanaka can return to form they will have an ace, but the rest of the rotation is a weakness they don't have any solutions for. If the Yankees are going to make the playoffs they are going to need an explosive offense and little to no injuries.

#4 Tampa Bay Rays (70-92) : The Rays can pitch and play defense. They probably have the best rotation in the division, and could have the best pitcher in the AL if Chris Archer can put it all together. They will win games with defense, but their hitting isn't going to do much for them. They might have a few bright spots, but if they need to win with offense it's going to be ugly.

#5 Baltimore Orioles (70-92) : The Orioles could be headed for a very long season. In another division they could feel better about their chances, but in the AL East they are going to be battered on a weekly basis. Their biggest issue is their pitching, which is poor at best. The addition of Yovani Gallardo helps, but they lost Wei-Yin Chen during the winter. Beyond Gallardo it's the same old pitchers that weren't particularly good last year. The Machado-Davis-Jones trio can hit, but the rest of the order is nothing special.