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2016 AL East Is Indeed A Beast

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Dustin Ackley lines a triple past Nolan Reimold to get into scoring position with two outs in the top of the 4th inning at Camden Yards on October 4, 2015

Not that it was ever a walk in the park to begin with, but if you take into account last season’s trade deadline moves, off-season free agent signings and trades, the AL East looks more competitive top to bottom than it has been in years. Our Bronx Bombers stayed away from the free agent market, at least until February 22nd, when one Christopher Matthew Parmelee was inked to a minor league deal.

Via the trade route, the Yankees parted ways with Adam Warren, John Ryan Murphy, and Justin Wilson. Brendan Ryan did not receive an offer to return, and the minor leaguers sent packing included Jose Pirela, Caleb Cotham, Rookie Davis, Eric Jagielo, and Tony Renda.
Notable roster additions include Aroldis Chapman, Aaron Hicks, and Starlin Castro.

The AL East At-A-Glace

The wise guys in Las Vegas have it as a Boston Red Sox vs Chicago Cubs World Series, but since the season will be played anyway, we thought we’d take a quick look at the rest of the AL East going into Spring Training and beyond.

Toronto Blue Jays

The reigning AL East champs will be back at full strength, extending the contract of Josh Donaldson, and adding Drew Storen to the bullpen. Sluggers Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista will each become free agents at the end of the season, and it will be interesting to see if the club will keep both. Bautista, 36, is rumored to be looking for a 5-year/$150 deal and willing to test the market, while Encarnacion (34) is hoping a contract extension can worked out during spring training. The Yankees will see Toronto for the first time on April 12th at Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays are an 18/1 shot to win it all.
Their opening day lineup could look like this:

  • C – Russell Martin
  • 1B – Justin Smoak
  • 2B – Ryan Goins (Devon Travis still recovering from shoulder surgery)
  • SS – Troy Tulowitzki
  • 3B – Josh Donaldson
  • LF – Michael Saunders (Injured for most of 2015, played in only 9 games)
  • CF – Kevin Pillar
  • RF – Jose Bautista
  • DH – Edwin Encarnacion

Projected Starting Rotation:

  • Marcus Stroman
  • Marco Estrada
  • J.A. Happ
  • R.A. Dickey
  • Jesse Chavez

Bullpen Core:

  • Roberto Osuna
  • Drew Storen
  • Brett Cecil
  • Aaron Loup
  • Bo Schultz
  • Ryan Tepera
  • Pat Venditte

 

Baltimore Orioles

The Birds were fairly quiet over the winter, but made noise by retaining free agent slugger Chris Davis. With little turn over in the starting lineup, Baltimore weak link might be it’s starting rotation. They lost free agent pitcher Wei-Yin Chen to Miami Marlins over the winter in a 5yr/$80M deal. The bullpen is solid with the one-two punch of Zach Britton and Darren O’Day. And then there was the Dexter Fowler incident — which works out nicely for New York, because the less Yankee pitchers see of him the better. New York won’t meet Baltimore until May 3rd at Camden Yards. The Orioles are a 50/1 shot to win the World Series.
Their opening day lineup could look like this:

  • C – Matt Wieters
  • 1B – Chris Davis
  • 2B – Jonathan Schoop
  • SS – J.J. Hardy
  • 3B – Manny Machado
  • LF – Hyun-soo Kim
  • CF – Adam Jones
  • RF – Jimmy Paredes
  • DH – Mark Trumbo

Projected Starting Rotation:

  • Chris Tillman
  • Ubaldo Jimenez
  • Miguel Gonzalez
  • Kevin Gausman
  • Yovani Gallardo

Bullpen Core:

  • Zach Britton
  • Darren O’Day
  • Brad Brach
  • Brian Matusz
  • Mychal Givens
  • Chaz Roe
  • Odrisamer Despaigne

 

Boston Red Sox

Under the guidance of Dave Dombrowski, Boston wasted little time filling holes in the off-season. They jumped on free agent David Price, traded a boatload of prospects for closer Craig Kimbrel, landed solid bullpen help with setup man Carson Smith, and a talented lefty in Roenis Elias. They also picked up free agent OF Chris Young, whom the Yankees made expendable after the Aaron Hicks trade. While they have definitely improved over last season’s train-wreck, they still have problems. Finding a position (or a trade partner) for Hanley Ramirez, and what to do with Pablo Sandoval, who coming off the worst season in his career, showed up at camp alarmingly overweight. Given his large contract and obvious disregard for his waist size (“I don’t got nothing to prove…”), Fenway will be a hostile place for him if his poor play continues. The Yankees will meet Boston for the first time on April 29th at Fenway. The Sox are 9/2 favorites to win it all.
Their opening day lineup could look like this:

  • C – Blake Swihart
  • 1B – Hanley Ramirez
  • 2B – Dustin Pedroia
  • SS – Xander Bogaerts
  • 3B – Pablo Sandoval
  • LF – Jackie Bradley
  • CF – Mookie Betts
  • RF – Rusney Castillo
  • DH – David Ortiz

Projected Starting Rotation:

  • David Price
  • Clay Buchholz
  • Rick Porcello
  • Eduardo Rodriguez
  • Joe Kelly

Bullpen Core:

  • Craig Kimbrel
  • Koji Uehara
  • Carson Smith
  • Junichi Tazawa
  • Robbie Ross
  • Tommy Layne
  • Heath Hembree

 

Tampa Rays

The Tampa Rays had a rough year in ’15, beset by injuries, but they’ll be going into 2016 with a deep starting rotation, led by Chris Archer. Number 2 starter Alex Cobb is recovering from Tommy John surgery and is not expected back until after at All-Star break. Tampa added some muscle to their bench with the January signing of OF Steve Pearce, who is expected to see some time at first base and DH, as well. Tampa seems to have a logjam in the outfield as camp opens, but their Achilles heel could be a shaky bullpen. The Yankees will see the Rays for the first time on April 22nd at The Stadium. The Rays are a 60/1 shot to win the Fall Classic.
Their opening day lineup could look like this:

  • C – Hank Conger
  • 1B – James Loney
  • 2B – Logan Forsythe
  • SS – Brad Miller
  • 3B – Evan Longoria
  • LF – Corey Dickerson
  • CF – Kevin Kiermaier
  • RF – Steven Souza
  • DH – Logan Morrison

Projected Starting Rotation:

  • Chris Archer
  • Jake Odorizzi
  • Drew Smyly
  • Erasmo Ramirez
  • Matt Moore

Bullpen Core:

  • Brad Boxberger
  • Alex Colome
  • Danny Farquhar
  • Xavier Cedeno
  • Ryan Webb
  • Steve Geltz
  • Enny Romero

 


 
MEMORY LANE : On today’s date in 2010, the Yankees signed free agent pitcher Chan Ho Park … In 2000, then MLB commissioner Bud Selig suspended Darryl Strawberry for the season after the Yankee’s DH tested positive for cocaine. Owner George Steinbrenner vowed to support the 38 year-old Strawberry, but he would never play major league ball again. (h/t: Baseball-Reference.com, Today in Baseball History)
 


 

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