AL East
Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore is my pick to win the AL East. I really liked the offseason changes they made to a roster that was frustrating as hell a year ago. They added two potential 40 home run bats in Taylor Ward and Pete Alonso to a lineup that already has superstar Gunnar Henderson in the middle of it. The Taylor Ward trade was a complete head scratcher until you remember it was the Angels involved. So of course they traded a 30 plus homer bat from a lineup that already struggled for a former top prospect pitcher who has had no success at the big league level and then added a shoulder injury to that less than sparkling resume. Great add for the O’s.
Adley Rutschman was well on his way to being the best catcher in the league before slipping on a banana peel last year, and I do think he rebounds. They added Shane Baz and Chris Bassitt, brought in Ryan Helsley, and also added Zach Eflin to help stabilize things. With Kyle Bradish and Trevor Rogers serving as major swing arms for the staff, I think Baltimore did enough to win the division.
Toronto Blue Jays
Losing Bo Bichette is a big loss. The injury late last season cost him a real chance at leading all of baseball in hits, and that is not the kind of bat you just casually replace. Now that pressure shifts to Kazuma Okamoto. He had a solid spring, but it may take some time for him to settle in and fill those shoes.
Then you add in the rotation issues. Shane Bieber, Jose Berrios, and playoff hero and rookie sensation Trey Yesavage all being sidelined is a lot to deal with before the season even starts. I think Toronto may struggle to find its footing early, but this is still a talented team and I do think they’ll keep improving as the year goes on. I’ve got the Blue Jays finishing second in the AL East and doing enough to earn a Wild Card spot.
New York Yankees
What exactly did the Yankees do to improve from a year ago. Are Paul Blackburn and Randal Grichuk supposed to be the missing pieces for a team that fell way short in 2025. I don’t think so.
There are also real questions in the back end of the bullpen now. They lost Devin Williams, albeit off a career worst season, and they lost Luke Weaver, with both guys packing up their lockers and heading to little brother in Queens. The bright spots are obvious enough. They still have Aaron Judge chasing another MVP, and they still have Max Fried coming off a year where he led baseball in wins. And Jazz Chisholm thinks he’s going to give Ohtani a run for his money and go 50 50 this year. I don’t think so. I’ve got the Yankees finishing third in the AL East and barely grabbing that second Wild Card spot.
Boston Red Sox
Now we get to the battle toward the bottom. The Red Sox lineup has lost Rafael Devers and Alex Bregman over the last year, and that is a real hit. They also lost pitching depth, but they did add Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez.
A lot of analysts and writers love those additions. I don’t. I think Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez are two of the most overrated starting pitchers in baseball. I don’t think they bring a whole lot to the table, and we’ve already seen Gray struggle in the AL East before. I don’t expect that to magically change here.
That said, Garrett Crochet is a monster. How can you not love Garrett Crochet. He is one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball and gives Boston a chance to win every time he takes the ball, no matter what the lineup looks like. But as a whole, I still don’t think Boston has enough here to really matter in this division. Fourth place.
Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays did Rays things again. A lot of roster churn, and not necessarily for the better. They’ve got a nice middle of the order anchored by Junior Caminero, who I can easily see hitting close to 50 home runs this year. But outside of that, I just don’t think there is a whole lot here to get excited about.
This feels like one of those teams that will still be annoying on random nights because that is just what the Rays do, but over a full season, I don’t see enough. I’ve got Tampa Bay rounding out the AL East in fifth.
AL East Prediction
Orioles
Blue Jays
Yankees
Red Sox
Rays
