2016 AL East Preview - bayers3's Dynasty

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2016 AL East Preview

Posted on August 21, 2014 at 11:06 PM.

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THE BOSTON GLOBE (RED SOX DYNASTY REPORT)

It looks like it's (finally) time for the sea change in the AL East that people have been predicting for years now. Boston, the reigning champions, don't look like they have the bats to win the division again. The Yankees look terrible, but they are loaded with young talent, and a few teams with promise should take the division this year.

AL EAST (PROJECTED FINISH)

#1 Toronto Blue Jays (92-70) : Fans and experts have been picking the Blue Jays year after year only to see them fail. This could be the year, no really, they look like they have a balanced team and they certainly have the pitching to keep up with Boston's rotation. Marcus Stroman could make 'the leap' and be a Cy Young winner, and having Jordan Zimmerman and Yovani Gallardo backing him up won't hurt. Jose Reyes continues to be one of the best SS in baseball, and Edwin Encarnacion gives them some serious power. The loss of Jose Bautista hurts, but Brett Lawrie is finally realizing his potential. The five deep rotation should keep them in games, and the offense should push them to a division title.

#2 Tampa Bay Rays (88-74) : The Rays aren't a great team, but in their park with their rotation they will continue to be good. They always seem to outperform their talent levels thanks to defense, but it's going to take a lot more to top the division. David Price, Matt Moore, Jeremy Hellickson, and Alex Cobb make up one of the best rotations in baseball, but it's still the third best in the AL East. The core of this team is still very young with Evan Longoria and Wil Myers looking like perennial All-Stars, but can the rest of the cast do enough to get them to October?

#3 Boston Red Sox (81-81) : The Red Sox look more like a small ball team this year and could struggle to score on a regular basis. People said the same thing last year and they lit the league on fire after August, but with so many experienced hitters leaving via free agency and defense-first rookies taking their place it's hard to see them doing that again. The rotation and the bullpen, especially the bullpen, could be the best in baseball. Hitters are going to see a lot of hard throwing pitchers on the mound for Boston which should help them hold on to the title of the best defense in baseball. What Boston lost in power it seems to have made up with speed speed speed. Look for the Red Sox to steal bases whenever a free bag is open and don't be surprised if they lead the majors in SB. If Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr., Blake Swihart, and rookie Rico Berroa don't improve a .500 record is reasonable, but if they take a big step forward the Blue Jays might not be so secure at the top.

#4 Baltimore Orioles (78-84) : The Orioles were basically felled by free agency, losing slugger Chris Davis to Texas and Matt Wieters to Houston, and they are getting left behind in a tough division. Adam Jones and future All-World 3B Manny Machado are still elite players, but the same guys they Orioles were trotting out in 2012 are still filling starting roles and they aren't getting any younger. Nick Markakis, JJ Hardy, Ubaldo Jimenez, Miguel Gonzalez, and Jim Johnson are propping up Jones and Machado... or is it the other way around? Jered Weaver continues to quietly be very good, but he isn't getting any younger either. Baltimore is approaching a serious rebuild or risk falling to the bottom of the AL.

#5 New York Yankees (70-92) : It's hard to believe the Yankees are this bad, with experts picking them to finish 26th in baseball, but unlike the Orioles they may have a brighter future. Like previous years, this team is very old and weighed down by bad contracts. Mark Teixeira and Carlos Beltran are ancient, and Andre Ethier is just kinda playing out his contract. Brett Gardner is still a very good outfielder, but he's getting on in years as well. Luckily for the Yankees they have two future superstars, with one already achieving that status. Masahiro Tanaka is approaching his peak, and a trade with the Cubs last year landed SS Javier Baez. Once the Yankees get out from under their bad contracts they should be heavy hitters in free agency again and build through that draft and around Baez.