AL East Round Up!

Sep 10, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; The standings listed on the wall of the green monster show the Boston Red Sox in last place in the American League East during the seventh inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to the first AL East Round-Up of the 2014 off-season! A lot has happened thus far with all teams vying to overtake the Baltimore Orioles as next year’s divisional champion.

As per usual, the bulk of off-season rumours have circulated around the perrenial big spenders in the division- yes I’m talking about you Boston and New York- but with a several weeks remaining before pitchers and catchers report, teams still have plenty of time to restructure their teams.

Will the Red Sox and Blue Jays continue to play a chess match of high-powered moves? Will the Yankees really sit out the offseason or are they ready to pounce? How with the Orioles rebuild after losing two corner outfielders in the same winter? Where will the Rays sneak in?

But for now, here’s the off-season to-date for one of baseball’s perpetually competitive divisions.

The Toronto Blue Jays  

Sep 26, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays second baseman

(17), shortstop

(7), center fielder

(8), third baseman

(15) and first baseman

Jr celebrate a win over the Baltimore Orioles at Rogers Centre. Toronto defeated Baltimore 4-2. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

I’m sure anyone reading this doesn’t need to be informed that the Jays have been likely the most active team in the East if not the entire Major Leagues this off-season.

The Jays went into the off-season with significant holes to fill. For more than a year, second base was the black hole to the Jays lineup and the club now had to deal with two thirds of their outfielders walking away, not to mention that the bullpen had become a bigger question mark than an R.A Dickey knuckleball.

So what did Alex Anthopoulos do? He upgraded the team through acquiring talent at just about every other position. He exchanged Brett Lawrie for slugger Josh Donaldson and added catcher Russell Martin via free agency. He also exchanged first baseman/designated hitter Adam Lind for Marco Estrada. All moves for positions the Jays didn’t really need to upgrade at.

He did, however, fill the second base position as he traded outfielder Anthony Gose for second base prospect Devon Travis who may or may not contribute to the big club in 2015. Recently, he added Michael Saunders in exchange for bottom of the rotation pitcher J.A Happ, seemingly cementing Melky Cabrera‘s departure.

What’s left? Well the Jays still haven’t touched their bullpen but with handfuls of cash still remaining, and trade assets like sidelined catcher Dioner Navarro, there’s still plenty of wiggle room left. With some time to spare, Anthopoulos will likely look to fix the bullpen first with the possibility of making improvements to the rotation and second base before next April.

The Boston Red Sox

Nov 25, 2014; Boston, Ma, USA; A man in a panda costume greets Boston Red Sox third baseman

after the introductory press conference at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

The Red Sox are a team rooted in a winning history. So when the 2014 season came to a close, and the playoffs began with them on the outside looking in, one had to reason big moves were scheduled for the winter season. The Sox have done just that.

They started by signing 2014 World Series Champion Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez. Each of these contracts ate up a considerable amount of money  with Sandoval earning $95M/5 years and Ramirez banking $88M but hey, it’s the Red Sox, money is only paper.

These two signings are undeniably impactful, however they didn’t address their major problem which was their starting rotation. This problem was tackled at this year’s winter meetings as the Sox acquired Wade Miley from the D-backs, Justin Masterson via free agency and Rick Porcello from the Tigers in exchange for all-star outfielder Yoenis Cespedes.

With the recent moves in mind, it certainly would be difficult to argue against Boston being a divisional contender next season but with no true ‘ace’ in their rotation it’s possible the Sox still haven’t completed construction.

The plethora of expendable Red Sox outfielders provides them with several viable trade options especially if GM Ruben Amaro Jr. decides to part ways with his left-handed ace Cole Hamels.

Either way, if the season were to start today, with the way the Sox have assembled their team this off-season, it’s expected they will content for the AL East title in the coming season.

The New York Yankees 

Sep 25, 2014; New York, NY, USA; New York Yankees shortstop

(2) tips his cap to the crowd during the celebration ceremony for him as the New York Yankees play the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: William Perlman/NJ Advance Media for NJ.com via USA TODAY Sports

Unlike the Blue Jays and Red Sox, who have gone after the big names this off-season, the New Yankees are quietly assembling a core which could potentially push for yet another division title.

Up until last week, the only thing Yankees fans were able to get excited about was the return of third baseman Alex Rodriguez and even then, that’s not exactly something to write home about.

However, the Yanks finally woke up and made a move to replace ‘the captain’ with D-backs shortstop Didi Gregorius surrendering Shane Greene in the transaction.

At 24, Gregorius is regarded as a defensive first shortstop, something the Yanks haven’t had for years with Derek Jeter at the healm. Despite his defensive prowess, his offensive production will come up short to Jeter’s at least for the time being.

The other move GM Brian Cashman made was the signing of their new closer Andrew Miller. With the help of set-up man Dillin Betances, the two will consummate one of the best one-two punches of any pen across the majors.

Given the aging roster the Yankees will likely march onto the field in 2015, it’s hard to imagine that a post-season berth is in their future. However, if seasoned veterans like Carlos Beltran, C.C Sabbathia, A-Rod, and Brian McCann can come together, it’s conceivable they could be in the running for playoff contention come fall 2015.

The Baltimore Orioles

Oct 15, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Baltimore Orioles right fielder

hits a single against the Kansas City Royals during the 8th inning in game four of the 2014 ALCS playoff baseball game at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

Despite winning the 2014 AL East division, it’s difficult to imagine the Orioles purchasing a ticket to the dance next season as they seem to be unwilling to purchase the contracts of the players responsible for getting them there last season.

This off-season has been rough for the Orioles to put it lighly. In a flash, two thirds of their outfield- Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis– abandoned ship in favour of different vessels heading in other directions. Together, the duo represents a loss 6.4 WAR that the team will have to replace.

With free agents Melky Cabrera and Nori Aoiki still on the market, it’s conceivable the Orioles pursue one or both if the shoe fits however no serious relationship has been established just yet.

As it stands, they will have to rely on one-hit wonder Steve Pearce to repeat his 2014 breakout season with Alejandro Alberto De Aza in left field. As you can probably imagine, that’s no Cruz-Markakis combination and the loss will certainly be felt both offensively and defensively next year.

If the Orioles aren’t able to refurbish their outfield it will be hard to relive their 2014 success as time ticks away in the hour glass of the 2014 off-season.