Power ranking the AL East after Blue Jays signing of Anthony Santander

#2 - Boston Red Sox

After finishing dead last in the AL East for two straight seasons in 2022 and 2023, everyone knew that the Boston Red Sox wouldn’t allow mediocrity to persist for that long. Especially not for a franchise that has had an extensive history of winning. 

As a result, the Red Sox began their road back to relevance last season when they hung in there to the very end before eventually missing the playoffs. Nevertheless, they managed to get back to .500 in 2024 and aim to strive to get even better for the upcoming 2025 season.

With that in mind, Boston has made some huge moves thus far this winter. They landed one of the biggest fish this offseason via trade in potential ace Garrett Crochet. The Red Sox also added former two-time All-Star and World Series champion Walker Buehler to help form a one-two punch with Crochet. To beef up the bullpen, veteran flamethrower Aroldis Chapman was also inked to a one-year deal, giving their pitching staff quite the makeover. 

The Red Sox offense was among the top ten in the league across various offensive categories in 2024, but pitching was among the bottom half in the league across the major pitching categories. As a result, with the solid addition of three proven elite arms to the roster, it could make Boston a force to be reckoned with once again in 2025.

#1 - New York Yankees

So what do you do when you fail to re-sign a potential generational talent like Juan Soto in free agency? You make up for it by making multiple significant moves, just exactly like how the New York Yankees have done it this winter. Rather than relenting the loss of the 26-year-old superstar, the Yankees quickly pivoted and reeled in two former MVPs in first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and outfielder Cody Bellinger, along with a front-end starter in Max Fried in free agency. If that wasn’t enough, they would trade for one of the best relief arms in all of baseball in Devin Williams.

So basically the Yankees have replaced a power-hitting star outfielder with key impactful pieces in the outfield, infield, rotation and bullpen. There’s no doubt no one is replacing the calibre of a Soto on the team, but to make upgrades in four different areas as a consequence of him leaving sure makes a good consolation prize for New York.

Obviously, in comparison to what the Los Angeles Dodgers have accomplished this offseason, the Yankees likely are still a step or two behind. But with respect to the happenings in the AL East, it should more than enough make the Yankees once again favourites to win the division title and potentially the AL pennant for 2025.

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