AL East Preview

With first pitch so close you can reach it, it's time to break down the divisions that make up Major League Baseball. The American League East has been referred to as one of, if not the toughest, division in baseball. However, this wasn't the case last season.

The AL East was one of four divisions in baseball last year that had three teams with a .500 winning percentage or better.

One team was within reach of having the AL East joining the AL Central as the only division to finish the 2024 regular season with four teams with a .500 winning percentage or better.

With the AL East aiming to return to its dominant form, here's a look into each of the five teams for the 2025 season.

Baltimore Orioles

In 2024, Brandon Hyde brought the O's to their second consecutive playoff appearance for the first time in over 25 years (1996-1997). Baltimore finished the regular season with a 91-71 record.

Unfortunately for Baltimore, its trip to the playoffs didn't last long, losing 2-0 to the Kansas City Royals in the Wild Card Series.

One of the most significant subtractions for the Orioles was former Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes. He put up a 2.92 ERA in his lone season in Baltimore.

However, he'll take his talents to Arizona in the Diamondbacks' rotation. Another subtraction from this Orioles team was Anthony Santander, who took his talents north of the border.

Quick on their feet, Baltimore made the necessary moves to fill Santander's spot in the lineup. They brought in Tyler O'Neill to roam the outfield. The former Red Sox recorded some of his best numbers since 2021 with a .241 batting average and .847 OPS.

While the Orioles already have a young lineup with Adley Rutschman, Jordan Westburg, Ryan Mountcastle and Gunnar Henderson, who finished fourth in MVP voting in 2024, Baltimore has a bright future with other young guns such as Jackson Holliday and rookie Coby Mayo. Mayo will start 2025 with Triple-A Norfolk.

Boston Red Sox

"Spend" is the name of the game, and that's exactly what Craig Breslow did as he prepared for his second season as the Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer.

Boston went 81-81 last year and missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season.

With a desire to reach the postseason, the Red Sox secured one of the best free agents of the offseason, Alex Bregman.

Bregman, a two-time World Series champ with the Houston Astros, had a down year compared to his 2023 and 2022 numbers, but he was properly recognized for his defense when he earned the first Gold Glove of his career in 2024.

They say you can never have enough pitching, and that's certainly the belief the Red Sox front office has. Adding to a rotation of Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck, the Red Sox also picked up Walker Buehler in free agency and traded for Garrett Crochet.

Crochet finally got his wish of leaving the Chicago White Sox, where in 2024 he made 32 starts, posing a 3.58 ERA in 146 innings with 209 strikeouts.

As for Buehler, he missed all of 2023 with his second Tommy John surgery and his ERA skyrocketed in 2024 to 5.38 in 75 innings pitched. However, if the Red Sox can help work him back to the 2.47 ERA in 207 innings pitched in 2021, he could be a dangerous starter for Boston.

While the lineup already features bats such as Rafael Devers and Triston Casas, the Red Sox already have a running list of prospects ready to go, such as Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer.

New York Yankees

After falling to the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-1, the Yankees are looking to finally win their first World Series since 2009, but they'll have to try to do it without one of two of their biggest playoff performers, and possibly a third.

If you haven't already heard, it was announced during Spring Training that Gerrit Cole will miss the entirety of the 2025 season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, which reconstructed his UCL.

Also on the injury report for the Yankees is Giancarlo Stanton. It was reported that Giancarlo Stanton has torn tendons in both elbows as well as a minor calf issue.

As for the pitching staff, they'll start the season without Clarke Schmidt, who dealt with a "cranky back" and a shoulder injury, and 2024 AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil, who is dealing with a high-grade right lat strain.

This year, New York won't field the same team it did last season, with Gleyber Torres, and, most notably, Juan Soto no longer in the Bronx. However, General Manager Brian Cashman didn't sit on his hands and decided to run it back.

His offseason moves consisted of grabbing one of the best left-handed pitchers in baseball and two former MVPs.

In December, the Yankees agreed with southpaw starter Max Fried on a contract worth $218 million over eight years. Last season, Fried went 11-10 with a 3.25 ERA, the second-highest in his career (minimum 10 games started).

Two of the Yankees' newest bats in the lineup are former MVPs Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt.

Bellinger was the NL MVP in 201, and in his two seasons with the Chicago Cubs had an .815 OPS percentage and finished in the Top 10 for MVP voting in 2023.

As for Goldschmidt, he was the NL MVP in 2022 when he put up a 7.3 WAR with a .578 slugging percentage. While his numbers slightly dropped after that, the first baseman hit well from July through the end of the season last year. Not to mention, Goldschmidt could be a good platoon with rookie Ben Rice.

With other returning members with strong potentials, such as Austin Wells and Anthony Volpe, to go with one of the best bullpens in baseball, the Yankees look to make the pushback to the Fall Classic.

Tampa Bay Rays

After the roof was blown off Tropicana Field by Hurricane Milton, the Rays needed a new place to call home for 2025. They found it in George M. Steinbrenner Field, the Spring Training Facility for the Yankees.

The Rays, a team notoriously known for performing well while having one of baseball's lowest payrolls, finished under .500 for the first time since 2017.

Unfortunately for the Rays, there isn't much to look forward to with this year's team.

The starting rotation already took a hit with Shane McClanahan having an inflamed tricep in his throwing arm, so he'll start the season on the IL. With him out for some time, Tampa will rely on solid starts from Shane Baz and Ryan Pepiot.

As for the infield, the biggest move of the Rays' offseason was the signing of Ha-Seong Kim. He didn't have as good of a season in 2024 as he did in 2022 and 2023, but a lot of that can be credited to a shoulder injury he had that required season-ending surgery last year. He will not be ready for Opening Day.

Tampa also has returning bats such as Danny Jansen, Yandy Diaz, Brandon Lowe and José Caballero. The one beacon of light for the Rays is Junior Caminero. The 20-year-old will man the hot corner this season

Toronto Blue Jays

When it comes to John Schneider's Blue Jays, many questions don't pertain to how the season will go but what will happen after the season.

Star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Blue Jays did not come to any agreement on an extension, and given the rumors of a trade to the New York Mets, one will not come any time soon. Guerrero has already said that all 30 teams will have a chance at him come the offseason.

Guerrero Jr. was the runner-up to Shohei Ohtani in 2021 for MVP and, in 2024, hit .323 with a .940 OPS and a 6.2 WAR, the second-highest of his career, all while slugging 30 homers.

As mentioned earlier, Anthony Santander took his talents north of the border, as he became one of the multiple moves the Blue Jays made this offseason. None of them were significant, but they were the right moves to allow them to be competitive this year and push for a playoff appearance.

One of the old faces in new places for the AL East this year is Max Scherzer, who signed a one-year deal with the Blue Jays to add to a rotation that already features Kevin Gausman, José Berrios and Bowden Francis.

Toronto also extended catcher Alejandro Kirk to a five-year contract extension worth $58 million, keeping him in a lineup that also includes Bo Bichette, George Springer and Andrés Giménez, whom the Blue Jays traded for from Cleveland in exchange for Spencer Horwitz.

Daniel Studer is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email dbs5866@psu.edu.