30 IN 30 - AL EAST PREVIEW

Matteo Ruiz

As the Players Association and MLB owners look to strike a deal in the coming days, springtime baseball is almost upon us… and it can’t come any sooner! It’s been over 119 days since we last saw ballplayers on the field fighting for the coveted title of World Series champion. It’s likely been a while since you’ve heard any rumblings from the infamously lukewarm MLB “hot-stove”, so we’ve prepared a preview of each division to make sure you’re up to date on exactly what to look forward to in the 2022 season! Starting with the AL East…

MONEYBALL MAGIC MAKES THE RAYS GO ‘ROUND

Finishing the 2021 regular season at 100 wins for the first time in franchise history, the Tampa Bay Rays were, without a doubt, the best team in the American League. Headlined by their stellar bullpen and contributions from a collection of No-Name Brand ballplayers who’ve earned their keep at the major league level, they came into the postseason as the team to beat in their side of the bracket. Surprisingly, the Rays came away with only one win in a 4-game division series against their division rivals, the Red Sox.

Losing out on players like Joey Wendel and starting pitchers Michael Wacha, and Rich Hill early in free agency will surely hurt this team. Fortunately for Rays fans, an overwhelming strength of this roster is their depth. High profile prospect Wander Franco, having just inked a massive 11-year deal, will fill in a missing spot on the infield on an everyday basis, and pitching adds like Corey Kluber in conjunction with budding young guns Baz and McClanahan should help to rebuild a hollowed-out rotation.

Aging slugger Nelson Cruz also remains a free agent, and with a potential agreement to establish the universal DH across baseball, it looks as though he’ll be in-line for a massive payday that should take him out of town. The Rays may be able to fill the gap in their lineup his departure creates by committee, but coupled with growing concerns over Kevin Kiermaier’s bat, expect them to be in the market for some affordable outfield talent and reliable, high-powered arms in the pen to work their moneyball magic on as they look to compete for the pennant once again.

SOX SEEK STARTERS TO GET THEM OVER THE HUMP

The Red Sox slayed the metaphorical giant in the American League by defeating the AL’s best team quite convincingly in the Division Series. Their reward – a chance to take on one of the most prolific offenses in baseball history: the Houston Astros. If there’s one thing that this series made abundantly clear, it’s that the Sox are in desperate need of pitching talent. In the 6-game series against Houston, the Sox held the Astros under 5 runs just once. In fairness, few people outside of the Red Sox faithful expected their rotation to be remotely competitive last year – having conjured up solid performances from the likes of Garret Richards and Martin Perez to aid an injured Chris Sale and recovering Eduardo Rodriguez.

While the BoSox have made moves to shore up the rotation with veterans James Paxton and Rich Hill, it might not be enough to compensate for the level of pitching talent missing from their roster after bonafide #2 starter Eduardo Rodriguez left for Detroit in free agency. Big moves are especially needed in the bullpen, where blue chip options like Kenley Jansen are still available through free agency. Don’t rule out the possibility of bringing former closer Craig Kimbrell back to Fenway either as the White Sox look to move on from him via trade.

Kyle Schwarber, who the Red Sox acquired at the trade deadline also remains at large with an expired contract. Whether the Red Sox bring him back or turn to other big bats like 1B Anthony Rizzo (who was their original target at the deadline) will become clear soon after the lockout lifts.

If this is the final look of the Red Sox, the success of their season banks on some unexpected performances once again. This time, from their young pitching core in Pivetta, Houck, and Whitlock. While this might be enough to convince Red Sox fans, if they hope to truly be competitive in baseball’s best division, there’s more work to be done before Opening Day.

THE YANKEES NEED SOME RETAIL THERAPY

Deep pockets fix everything – or so the Yankees thought. Though they’ve spent big in the past few seasons, when you compare their payroll to some of the best teams in baseball, they don’t have much to show for it. In fact, the Yankees might have even been a little lucky to call themselves a playoff team last year, having scored thirteen less runs than the NL East’s last-place team: the Washington Nationals. Despite their offensive woes, they crawled into a wildcard spot at 92 wins – a mark that they hope to eclipse in 2022 by a significant margin.

Unsurprisingly, the Yankees look to spend big in free agency by acquiring star shortstop Carlos Correa. As one of the few teams that will be able to shell out the kind of money he’ll undoubtedly be asking for, the Yankees are an obvious fit. If they can land him, the perennial MVP candidate will bring some much needed defensive consistency to the shortstop position – hopefully making up for the borderline unwatchable Torres-Urshela tandem from last season.

After ending the season with the league’s 20th ranked OBP, the Yankees are in desperate need of left-handed bats who can get on base. Their deadline acquisitions of Joey Gallo and Anthony Rizzo appeared to fill in the gaps in a desolate Yankee lineup, but with Gallo’s disappointing start in pinstripes and Rizzo's seemingly inevitable departure on the horizon, the Yankees will have to look elsewhere. To compound issues, the Yankees are also dealing with overcrowding in the outfield as Judge, Stanton, Gallo, Hicks, and potentially Brett Gardener all vie for a starting spot. This same issue is what forced the once-top prospect Clint Fraizer out of town. With no room in an underperforming outfield and a ridiculous amount of money committed to it, the Yankees have essentially handcuffed themselves.

It’s time for them to take stock of the product they’re putting on the field. With young players like Judge and Torres just now reaching the prime of their careers while veterans like Gardener and LeMahieu slowly approach the end of theirs, it’s only a matter of time before we see a major overhaul in New York. This team, and its current composition simply can’t get it done. And in the high-stakes market that is the Bronx, one more season of failure could mean that it’s time to break up the band.

BIG CHANGES FOR THE BLUE JAYS

Finishing the regular season with a record of 91-71, the Blue Jays cemented themselves as one of the best fourth-place teams in the history of Major League Baseball. With a high-powered offense to rival that of the Houston Astros, and a star-studded starting staff, the one question for the Blue Jays going into the 2021 season was the reliability of their bullpen. The offense and starting pitching held up their end of the bargain with Vladimir Guererro Jr. and Marcus Semien being named MVP finalists and ace Robbie Ray winning the Cy Young award. Some lackluster performances early in the season from a bullpen composed mainly of minor leaguers and past-their-prime veterans let some crucial wins slip away. By the time management could add reinforcements through trade, it was too little too late.

A 91 win season is nothing to scoff at. Despite the disappointing end to the season, Jays fans all believe that their young core has the potential to learn from this experience and use it as fuel to power their championship aspirations. But Toronto’s team will look a little different in 2022. Having lost their Cy Young winner to the Seattle Mariners and their star 2B to the Rangers, the Jays have some significant holes to fill before they begin to approach last year’s level of success again. An extension for recently acquired starter Jose Berrios and the acquisition of another premier talent in Kevin Gausman definitely helps to fill the abscess in the rotation, but the impact bat necessary to replace the production of Semien remains absent for now. Ideally, his replacement is a lefty, since the Jays lack lineup diversity, that can provide middle-of-the-order contribution. Whether the Jays look to fill this role internally through a fully healthy Cavan Biggio or externally through free agency and trade remains to be seen.

Don’t believe that the Jays are done with this offseason just yet. Run prevention remains a priority for management as they try to assemble a bullpen that can stay afloat for a full season while providing quality defense in support. Look for the jays to add some minor, experienced pieces to a developing bullpen while also targeting a lefty infielder through trade. One thing is for certain, it’ll be a wild season in the AL East next year, and the Jays are poised to be right in the thick of it.

O’S LOOK TO THE FUTURE

Quite possibly the only non-competitive team in the East, the Baltimore Orioles have been relegated to the basement once again. With the lowest win total in the American League, the O’s are undoubtedly focusing on building a team to compete much farther down the line. Despite standout seasons from OF Cedric Mullins and rookie 1B Ryan Mountcastle, the Orioles’ depth chart leaves much to be desired. Their starting rotation is shaky, their bullpen is virtually nonexistent, and their lineup falls off halfway through the order. They’re without a doubt in line for another losing season… and that’s okay!

The one positive about a losing baseball team is the freedom it affords both players and management. In the 2022 season, the Orioles will have the ability to experiment with various players at different positions and should be able to develop and evaluate talent in a low-stakes environment. With as little pressure to perform as possible, and a young team around them, we could see some surprising performances from obscure rookies now afforded regular playing time.

A major concern about the Orioles though is their uncanny ability to underperform even the most minute of expectations. In 2020, the Orioles reached a little with the 2nd overall selection in the draft, taking OF Heston Kjerstad – an under slot player – instead of obvious picks like Asa Lacy, Max Meyer, Austin Martin, Emerson Hancock, and Nick Gonzales. While health concerns have prevented the baseball world from evaluating Kjerstad’s talent, it’s concerning that the O’s felt the need to draft so dramatically under-slot with their top pick, in an attempt to spread the money out on later picks – none of which have proved their worth yet either. All things considered, if the Orioles are committing to the rebuild, it’s time to part ways with established major leaguers like John Means and Anthony Santander and rebuild through the draft. It’ll be a few years before they’re competitive again, but O’s fans… enjoy the ride!