2020 American League East Season Preview

American League East (Chris Kubala)

The 2020 Major League Baseball season may be delayed, but we have decided to put a preview together from our outstanding writers based on off-season transactions and spring training results. We’ve also included the odds to win the World Series, the Pennant and the Division from VegasInsider.com.

1)New York Yankees

World Series Odds: 7-2

AL Pennant Odds: 5-4

AL East Odds: 1-5

The second year of the Aaron Boone era as a manager in the Bronx saw the team put together another solid regular season campaign. New York won the AL East with a 103-59 record, finishing seven games ahead of Tampa Bay for the top spot. That mark was three games better than the record the team posted in the 2019 season in Boone’s first campaign. New York dispatched Minnesota in a three-game sweep in the AL Division Series but ran into a roadblock in the AL Championship Series. The Yankees were dropped in six games by the Astros, bringing their season to a close two wins short of the pennant.

In the offseason, New York saw a lot of departures from players that were contributors in recent years. Edwin Encarnacion, Cameron Maybin, Didi Gregorius, Austin Romine, David Hernandez, Cory Gearrin, Dellin Betances, Greg Bird, and Trevor Rosenthal are all gone. Jacoby Ellsbury was let go, which was merely a formality seeing that he hadn’t played since 2017. New York did add a couple of backup catchers in Chris Iannetta and Josh Thole to add some depth. There was one big acquisition in free agency and it was one of those deals that helps your team while hurting a rival. The Yankees picked up Gerrit Cole, handing him a nine-year deal worth $324 million, to take him away from Houston and help bolster the front end of their rotation.

Starting Rotation:

R Gerrit Cole

R Masahiro Tanaka

L James Paxton

L J.A. Happ

L Jordan Montgomery

New York’s rotation was pretty solid last season despite missing some key components for stretches last season. In Cole, the Yankees added the top free-agent pitcher on the market to help bolster their rotation. All Cole did last season was go 20-5 with a league-leading 2.50 ERA, a 0.895 WHIP, 48 walks and a league-high 326 strikeouts over 212.1 innings in 33 starts. He went 35-10 with a 2.68 ERA, a 0.962 WHIP, 112 walks and 602 strikeouts over 412.2 innings in 65 starts over two years with the Astros. That’s a nice addition to the front of the rotation. Tanaka was 11-9 with a 4.45 ERA, a 1.242 WHIP, 40 walks and 149 strikeouts over 182 innings in 32 appearances, 31 starts, last season. He has to improve on his road splits after going 3-6 with a 6.05 ERA and a 1.416 WHIP over 83.1 innings last season. Tanaka has also pitched with a partially torn UCL since 2014 and one has to wonder if it will eventually give way.

The back half of New York’s rotation is going to bear monitoring. Paxton went 15-6 with a 3.82 ERA, a 1.281 WHIP, 55 walks and 186 strikeouts over 150.1 innings in 29 starts last year. He’s dealing with injury issues after undergoing spinal surgery that is expected to keep him out until May or June. Happ was 12-8 with a 4.91 ERA, a 1.295 WHIP, 49 walks and 140 strikeouts over 161.1 innings in 31 appearances, 30 starts, over 161.1 innings of work. He was tagged for 34 homers and needs to curtail giving up the long ball. With Luis Severino lost for the season after it was announced that he needed Tommy John surgery and Domingo German serving the final 64 games of his 81-game domestic violence suspension, things are shuffled a bit for the Yankees. Jordan Montgomery, who made just two appearances, one start, last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2018, is in line for the first crack at the fifth starter role.

Aroldis Chapman is the anchor in the bullpen for the Yankees. He was 3-2 with a 2.21 ERA, a 1.105 WHIP, 25 walks and 85 strikeouts over 57 innings in 60 appearances. He recorded 37 saves on the year to lead the way. New York has other solid options as Zack Britton (3-1, 1.91 ERA, three saves, 1.141 WHIP, 32 walks, 53 strikeouts over 61.1 innings in 66 appearances), Tommy Kahnle (3-2, 3.67 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 20 walks, 88 strikeouts over 61.1 innings in 72 outings) and Adam Ottavino (6-5, 1.90 ERA, two saves. 1.312 WHIP, 40 walks, 88 strikeouts over 66.1 innings in 73 appearances) are all capable. Chad Green (4-4, 4.17 ERA, two saves, 1.232 WHIP, 19 walks, 98 strikeouts in 69 innings over 54 appearances, 15 starts) is a solid multiple-innings guy.

Lineup:

2B DJ LeMahieu

RF Aaron Judge

SS Gleyber Torres

DH Giancarlo Stanton

C Gary Sanchez

1B Luke Voit

LF Mike Tauchman

3B Gio Urshela

CF Brett Gardner

While there is some shuffling from last year’s team, which led the AL with 943 runs scored, there is still plenty of power and talent in the mix. New York had 14 players reach double-digit homers last season. Seven players cracked the 20-homer mark and two popped at least 30, despite Stanton playing in just 18 games. LeMahieu is a perfect table-setter atop the lineup as he hit .327 last season with 33 doubles, 26 homers, 102 RBI and 109 runs scored. Judge played only 102 games last season, dealing with several injuries. He still posted a .272 average with 27 home runs and 55 RBI though he did fan 141 times in 378 plate appearances. Torres hit .278 with a team-leading 38 home runs and 90 RBI while scoring 96 times.

Stanton played only 18 games last season due to injury issues and finished with a .288 mark with three homers and 13 RBI on the year. He suffered a Grade 1 calf strain in spring training on February 25 but is expected to be healthy once the season starts. Sanchez clubbed 34 home runs and drove in 77 but he hit only .232 on the year. Voit gets a chance to try and build off his line of a season ago, when he hit .263 with 21 homers and 62 RBI in 118 games. Tauchman stepped up and contributed when Stanton went down in June, hitting .277 with 13 home runs and 47 RBI while being credited with 16 defensive runs saved. That was second-most among outfielder in the AL, trailing only his teammate Judge, who had 19. Urshela (.314, 34 doubles, 21 HR, 72 RBI) and Gardner (.251, 26 doubles, seven triples, 28 HR, 74 RBI) aren’t your typical bottom of the order type of guys. They can do damage, either on their own or by getting on base to swing back to the top of the order.

There are some solid bench options for the Yankees as well. Miguel Andujar, who finished second in the AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2018 after hitting .297 with 47 doubles, 27 home runs, and 92 RBI, is back in the mix this year. He played only 12 games in 2019 before being lost for the year with a torn labrum in his shoulder. In addition, Mike Ford (.259, 12 HR, 25 RBI), Clint Frazier (.267, 12 HR, 38 RBI), Tyler Wade (.245, two HR, 11 RBI) and, once he returns from Tommy John surgery in June or July, Aaron Hicks (.235, 12 HR, 36 RBI), help provide a solid depth group for the Yankees to lean on. Iannetta could step in should the team feel that Kyle Higashioka can’t handle the backup catcher role behind Sanchez at this stage.

Outlook:

It’s safe to say that New York’s lineup is still going to produce plenty of offensive fireworks this season. If Judge and Stanton can stay healthy, that will make the Yankees’ lineup that much more dangerous for opposing teams. The loss of Severino in the rotation is a blow but the delayed start to the year could be beneficial as it gives Paxton time to heal before meaningful games take place. Cole is a major boost to an already tough rotation. The Yankees have plenty of depth options to lean on in the back end of the rotation and they boast one of the deepest bullpen groups in the league. With Baltimore rebuilding, Toronto still trying to build around their young nucleus, and Boston shuffling around pieces after a tumultuous offseason, it’s hard to see those teams competing. When you get down to brass tacks, the Yankees are flat out better than the Rays and that pushes them to a repeat of the AL East crown.

2)Tampa Bay Rays

World Series Odds: 20-1

AL Pennant Odds: 9-1

AL East Odds: 4-1

It’s safe to say that in the era of teams throwing around big-money contracts like there’s no tomorrow, that no team in the majors gets more for less than the Tampa Bay Rays. Despite battling through injuries and playing with a group of guys that aren’t household names, the Rays turned in a solid campaign for Kevin Cash in his fifth year as manager. The team has improved in each of the last three seasons as they went from 68-94 in 2016 to 80-82 in 2017 to 90-72 in 2018. Last year, the team finished second in the AL East with a 96-66 mark, finishing seven games behind the Yankees in the division but locked down the second wild-card spot. After dispatching the A’s on the road in the AL Wild Card Game, the Rays pushed the Astros to the limit before falling in a winner take all Game 5 in the AL Division Series to end their season.

It was a tough offseason for the Rays, who tried to keep their three biggest free agents but failed to retain any of them. Travis d’Arnaud signed with the Braves while Avisail Garcia and Eric Sogard both inked contracts with Milwaukee. In addition, the team saw Matt Duffy go to the Rangers and Guillermo Heredia signed a deal with the Pirates. The Rays dealt Tommy Pham to the Padres for Hunter Renfroe, Xavier Edwards, and the ever-popular player to be named later. Later in the offseason, Tampa Bay made another deal with the Padres, sending reliever Emilio Pagan to the West Coast for Manuel Margot and Logan Driscoll. The Rays have to generate some offense to help out their strong pitching staff.

Starting Rotation:

R Charlie Morton

L Blake Snell

R Tyler Glasnow

R Yonny Chirinos

L Ryan Yarbrough

Tampa Bay has one of the toughest pitching staffs in the league, helped by solid defensive work. The Rays led the AL with a team ERA of 3.65 and were third with 1,621 strikeouts. Morton put together a solid season leading the rotation as he went 16-6 with a 3.05 ERA, a 1.084 WHIP, 57 walks and 240 strikeouts over 194.2 innings in 33 starts last season. All told, dating back to 2017 with Houston, Morton has won 45 games in the last three years compared to the 46 he won in his first nine big-league seasons. Snell won the AL Cy Young in 2018 but struggled through injuries last season. Tampa Bay hopes he bounces back from last year’s 6-8 mark in 23 starts. He posted a 4.29 ERA, a 1.271 WHIP, 40 walks and 147 strikeouts over 107 innings of work. Nine of his outings were four innings or less, though three of those came in September after he missed nearly two months after elbow surgery.

Glasnow was hot to start the year but suffered an arm injury that cost him four months of the season. He finished the year 6-1 with a 1.78 ERA, a 0.89 WHIP, 14 walks and 76 strikeouts over 60.2 innings in 12 starts. Having him available for the duration of the season would be a major boost to their chances this season. Chirinos posted a solid 9-5 mark with a 4.43 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP, 28 walks and 114 strikeouts over 133.1 innings in 26 appearances, 18 starts, last season. Yarbrough has been a solid innings-eater as the bulk inning guy when the Rays deployed an opener. He went 11-6 with a 4.13 ERA, a 0.995 WHIP, 20 walks and 117 strikeouts over 141.2 innings in 28 appearances, 14 starts, last season. Yarbrough has 27 wins on the books in his two seasons in the majors.

Tampa Bay can also lean on guys like Brendan McKay (2-4, 5.14 ERA, 1.408 WHIP, 16 walks, 56 strikeouts over 49 innings in 13 appearances, 11 starts), who can also play first base or the outfield, or Jalen Beeks (6-3, one save, 4.31 ERA, 1.486 WHIP, 40 walks, 89 strikeouts over 104.1 innings in 33 appearances, three starts) to step in and contribute. Nick Anderson (3-0, 2.11 ERA, 0.656 WHIP, two walks, 41 strikeouts over 21.1 innings over 23 appearances) is in line to be the closer. Diego Castillo (5-8, eight saves, 3.41 ERA, 1.238 WHIP, 26 walks, 81 strikeouts over 68.2 innings in 65 appearances, six starts), Colin Poche (5-5, two saves, 4.70 ERA, 1.006 WHIP, 19 walks, 72 strikeouts over 51.2 innings in 51 appearances) and Chaz Roe (1-3, one save, 4.06 ERA, 1.569 WHIP, 31 walks, 65 strikeouts over 51 innings in 71 appearances) are reliable arms out of the pen.

Lineup:

2B Brandon Lowe

LF Austin Meadows

3B Yandy Diaz

1B Ji-Man Choi

RF Hunter Renfroe

DH Yoshitomo Tsutsugo

SS Willy Adames

CF Kevin Kiermaier

C Mike Zunino

The Rays have to replace the production of Pham, who hit .273 with 33 doubles, 21 homers, 68 RBI and 25 steals last season. Starting at the top of the potential order, Lowe had a solid campaign last season and finished third in the AL Rookie of the Year voting. He hit .270 with 17 doubles, 17 HR and 51 RBI in 82 games last season and likely has the starting job at the cornerstone. Meadows had a breakout campaign last season, posting a .291 mark with 29 doubles, seven triples, 33 homers and 89 RBI in 138 games. He, along with Glasnow, makes the deal where Pittsburgh sent them along with Shane Baz for Chris Archer, all the more favorable for the Rays. Diaz hit .267 with 20 doubles, 14 homers, and 38 RBI in 79 games last season so it will be interesting to see how he fares over a full season.

Choi had a decent season last year as he hit .261 with 19 homers and 63 RBI. He’ll be looked to improve his production to help the offense this season. Renfroe was a mixed bag last season with San Diego: while he hit 33 homers, he knocked in himself more than his teammates (31) while hitting only .216 on the year. In addition, he struck out 154 times in 440 at-bats. Perhaps getting away from Petco Park, where he hit .193 with 14 homers in 66 games last season, will help bolster his numbers. Tsutsugo is a wild card as he has spent his career in Japan. He hit .272 with 29 homers and 79 RBI in 131 games last season and has career marks of a .285 average with 205 home runs and 613 RBI in 968 games in the Nippon Baseball League. Tampa Bay was impressed enough to give him a two-year, $11 million deal. Adames (.254, 20 HR, 52 RBI), Kiermaier (.228, 14 HR, 55 RBI) and Zunino (.165, nine HR, 32 RBI) are at the bottom of the order. They are more looked to defensively (Kiermaier has three Gold Gloves in the last five seasons) than for offensive production.

Jose Martinez, who was acquired from St. Louis in the offseason, is going to be a key bat off the bench. He hit .269 with 10 homers and 42 RBI in 334 at-bats last season. Martinez also provides some flexibility as he has played first base, both corner outfield spots and he has been a DH in his career. Joey Wendle (.231, three HR, 13 RBI) and Michael Perez (.217, two RBI) are going to be important. Much like Renfroe, Margot (.234, 12 HR, 38 RBI) might benefit from a change of scenery as the Rays have had success with relative reclamation projects in recent years.

Outlook:

Tampa Bay won 96 games last season despite an offensive attack that was in the middle of the pack, ranking seventh in the AL with 769 runs. Losing the players they did in d’Arnaud, Garcia and Pham will dent the offense but one has to think that Meadows can take another step forward this season. If Renfroe and Margot have success at the Trop as opposed to Petco Park, that will be a plus for the team. Tsutsugo has to step up and provide some pop while Lowe has to repeat his production. The pitching staff is solid with their rotation one of the stingiest in the league. The Rays’ pitching will keep them in games so if the offense can do the job and come up with some runs, they’ll be in the thick of things. As it stands, they don’t have enough of an edge on the mound to offset their disadvantage at the plate compared to the Yankees. That keeps them in the wild card hunt again this season.

3)Boston Red Sox

World Series Odds: 30-1

AL Pennant Odds: 15-1

AL East Odds: 14-1

After winning the World Series in 2018, the hopes were high for the Boston Red Sox to compete and contend in an effort to defend their title. Instead, injuries, inconsistency, poor play and being stuck in a division with their archrivals, the Yankees, proved to be too much for the team to handle. Boston finished the year just 84-78, leaving them third in the AL East, 19 games behind the Bronx Bombers. More surprising was the fact that the team was 12 games behind Tampa Bay for the second wild-card spot. It’s going to be an interesting year for the Red Sox given all the upheaval the organization has seen in the offseason.

There has been plenty of change for Boston since last season ended. It starts at the top as manager Alex Cora resigned after being implicated in the sign-stealing saga of the Astros when they won the 2017 World Series. He was the bench coach for Houston that season and was tabbed as one of the ringleaders. In his place, bench coach Ron Roenicke has been tabbed to take over the reins of the organization. In the biggest deal of the offseason to date, Boston dealt cornerstone Mookie Betts, along with David Price, to the Dodgers. Coming back to Boston was Alex Verdugo along with minor leaguers Jeter Downs and Connor Wong. In free agency, Rick Porcello, Eduardo Nunez, Brock Holt, Jhoulys Chacin and Chris Owings are all gone. The team did bring in Kevin Pillar from San Francisco, Martin Perez, Kevin Plawecki, Jose Peraza and Collin McHugh via free agency. Having to chop $40 million from the payroll to reset the luxury tax clock was a daunting task for GM Chaim Bloom.

Starting Rotation:

L Chris Sale

L Eduardo Rodriguez

R Nathan Eovaldi

L Martin Perez

R Ryan Weber

This is an interesting group for the Red Sox as they have a couple of proven guys, some injury issues and a guy looking to solidify a spot in the mix. Sale struggled last season as he went just 6-11 with a 4.40 ERA and a 1.086 WHIP with 37 walks and 218 strikeouts over 147.1 innings of work. He had elbow inflammation last season that led to him being shut down for the year in August. This spring, he had battled pneumonia, so the delay to the season is a benefit for him. Being under contract through 2024, the Red Sox hope he bounces back to full strength this season. Rodriguez had a career year last season, posting a 19-6 mark with a 3.81 ERA, a 1.328 WHIP, 75 walks and 213 strikeouts over 203.1 innings in 34 starts. Boston hopes that he can carry that success over again this season.

Eovaldi is going to be a pivotal arm for the Red Sox and his health will go a long way to determining how things work out for the team in 2020. He made 23 appearances, 12 starts, last season but missed nearly three months after elbow surgery in late April. After his return, he began as the closer before moving back into the starting rotation. All told, he was 2-1 with a 5.99 ERA, a 1.581 WHIP, 35 walks and 70 strikeouts over 67.2 innings of work. He needs to be more consistent and healthier for the Red Sox. Perez was 10-7 with a 5.12 ERA, a 1.518 WHIP, 67 walks and 135 strikeouts over 165.1 innings in 32 appearances, 29 starts, with the Twins last season. As the season wore on, he struggled, posting a 2-4 mark with a 6.27 ERA and a 1.72 WHIP over 70.1 innings in 14 starts after the All-Star break. Opposing hitters slashed .319/.374/.542 against him in that stretch. Weber gets the first crack at the fifth starter role. He was 2-4 with a 5.09 ERA, a 1.377 WHIP, eight walks and 29 strikeouts over 40.2 innings in 18 appearances, three starts, last season.

Brandon Workman was solid out of the bullpen last season and will start the year as the closer. He was 10-1 with 16 saves, a 1.88 ERA, a 1.033 WHIP, 45 walks and 104 strikeouts over 71.2 innings in 73 games last season. More impressively, in a year of the juiced ball, he allowed just one homer all season. Marcus Walden (9-2, two saves, 3.81 ERA, 1.192 WHIP, 32 walks and 76 strikeouts over 78 innings in 70 games), Matt Barnes (5-4, four saves, 3.78 ERA, 1.383 WHIP, 38 walks, 110 strikeouts over 64.1 innings in 70 games) and Ryan Brasier (2-4, seven saves, 4.85 ERA, 1.293 WHIP, 21 walks, 61 strikeouts over 55.2 innings in 62 appearances) all can work in setup roles or step in to close if necessary.

Lineup:

LF Andrew Benintendi

3B Rafael Devers

SS Xander Bogaerts

DH J.D. Martinez

1B Mitch Moreland

2B Michael Chavis

C Christian Vazquez

CF Jackie Bradley Jr.

RF Kevin Pillar

Despite dealing away Betts, the Red Sox still have plenty of firepower in a lineup that finished fourth in the AL with 901 runs last season. Benintendi hit a solid .266 last season with 40 doubles, five triples, 13 homers, and 68 RBI in 138 games and likely will be at or near the top of the order again. Devers struggled in the field in the early going last season but his bat was hot all year long. He finished last year hitting .311 with 54 doubles to go with 32 homers and 115 RBI while racking up 201 hits plus 129 runs. Bogaerts signed an extension that keeps him with the team until potentially 2026 and had a big year last year. He posted a .309 mark with 52 doubles, 33 homers, 116 RBI and 110 runs scored. That’s a solid trio to have anchoring your lineup.

Martinez posted another solid year for Boston, hitting .304 while clubbing a team-high 36 homers to go with 33 doubles and driving in 105 runs. Moreland played in just 91 games last year and hopes to bounce back this season. He had some solid offensive production despite the limited action, hitting .252 with 19 homers and 58 RBI. Chavis was hot early with the bat but cooled off in the second half of the year. He needs to prove he can handle the high heat as he hit .252 with 18 homers and 58 RBI but whiffed 127 times in 347 at-bats. Vazquez (.276, 23 HR, 72 RBI) handled the majority of the catching duties and responded with a solid offensive season. Bradley Jr. continues to play stellar defense in center but his bat (.225, 21 HR, 62 RBI, 155 strikeouts) has continued to flounder. Pillar hit .259 with 21 homers and 88 RBI last season but drew only 18 walks in 645 plate appearances. He and Verdugo (.294, 12 HR, 44 RBI in 343 at-bats) will be looked to replace Betts’ production.

Peraza (.239, six HR, 33 RBI in 141 games for the Reds) gives Boston a veteran utility guy who played second base, third base, shortstop, left field and center field last season. Tzu-Wei Lin (.200, RBI n 20 at-bats) and Rule V pick Jonathan Arauz will be on the bench as well. Plawecki (.222, three HR, 17 RBI in 59 games with Cleveland) is slotted to take over the backup catching duties after Sandy Leon went to the Indians in the offseason. Marco Hernandez (.250, two HR, 11 RBI in 148 at-bats) could factor in here should he make the team as a non-roster invitee.

Outlook:

Boston was the king of the baseball world two seasons ago but saw things fall apart last season. Dealing away a former MVP in his prime in an effort to dodge the luxury tax doesn’t send a positive message to the team. While there is plenty of talent in the mix for the Red Sox at the plate to put up runs on the board, there are question marks in the rotation. Price, while he was overpaid for the production he provided, was a veteran presence who could step up in big games. Porcello was an innings eater that could save the bullpen and he won 73 games in five seasons with the team, including a Cy Young in 2016 when he went 22-4. Sale can be dominant but he has to battle back from the elbow injuries that took a toll on him. Eovaldi is an injury concern and the back of the rotation is inconsistent at best, unproven at worst. With the Yankees and Rays in the division, it’s hard to see the Red Sox improving on last season’s finish.

4)Toronto Blue Jays

World Series Odds: 300-1

AL Pennant Odds: 150-1

AL East Odds: 300-1

The Toronto Blue Jays, who were a playoff team as recently as 2016, when they reached the AL Championship Series for the second straight year, continue to try and rebuild with their young talent. Toronto’s youth movement, while exciting on paper, has yet to pay a ton of dividends on the field as their win total has dropped each of the last three seasons. After going 89-73 in 2016, the team has declined to 76-86 in 2017, 73-89 in 2018 and 67-95 in 2019, Charlie Montoyo’s first season as the manager. After three straight fourth-place finishes, the question isn’t whether the Blue Jays will sink to the cellar but whether they can find a way to jump over any of the three teams that finished ahead of them last season.

Toronto lost some pieces in free agency but there weren’t any losses that really shook the foundation of the organization. Justin Smoak went to the Brewers, Ryan Tepera signed with the Cubs, Bud Norris inked a deal with the Phillies, Luke Maile inked a contract with the Pirates and Derek Law went to the Rangers. The Blue Jays brought in Travis Shaw from Milwaukee, Tanner Roark from Oakland, Hyun-jin Ryu from the Dodgers and Joe Panik from the Mets. In addition, Toronto dealt for Chase Anderson in a deal with the Brewers. They also purchased Shun Yamaguchi and Rafael Dolis from Japan while adding several guys to add to their depth.

Starting Rotation:

L Hyun-jin Ryu

R Tanner Roark

R Chase Anderson

R Matt Shoemaker

R Shan Yamaguchi

Toronto had a slew of different guys on the mound last season and they hope that the moves they made in the offseason will bolster that group. Ryu was solid with the Dodgers last season, making 29 starts for the team. He went 14-5 with a league-leading 2.32 ERA, a 1.007 WHIP, 24 walks and 163 strikeouts over 182.2 innings of work. Ryu was 54-33 with one save, a 2.98 ERA, a 1.164 WHIP, 164 walks and 665 strikeouts over 740.1 innings in 126 career appearances, 125 starts, with the Dodgers over six seasons. Roark made 31 starts last season split between Cincinnati and Oakland. He posted a 10-10 mark with a 4.35 ERA, a 1.397 WHIP, 51 walks and 138 strikeouts over 165.1 innings in 31 starts. Roark is a solid, if unspectacular, starter who can keep a team in games.

Anderson is a tough one to figure out as he can turn in a stellar outing one start and then follow it up with three or four outings where he won’t make it out of the fifth inning. He went 8-4 with a 4.21 ERA, a 1.266 WHIP, 50 walks and 124 strikeouts over 139 innings in 32 appearances, 27 starts, last season. Anderson doesn’t go deep in games: he went six innings just three times and failed to record an out beyond the sixth in any of his starts. Shoemaker made five starts last season, going 3-0 with a 1.57 ERA, a 0.872 WHIP, nine walks and 24 strikeouts over 28.2 innings. He tore his ACL on April 20 and missed the rest of the year though he should be back to full strength by the time the season starts. Yamaguchi has spent his career in Japan and made 28 starts for Yomiuri last season. He posted a 16-4 mark with a 2.78 ERA, a 1.171 WHIP, 64 walks and 194 strikeouts over 181 innings of work. Yamaguchi is 64-58 with 112 saves, a 3.35 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP, 414 walks and 1,053 strikeouts over 1,080.1 innings in 427 appearances, 90 starts, in his career.

Toronto’s bullpen is going to be stocked with guys that saw some experience in the rotation last year. Trent Thornton (6-9, 4.84 ERA, 1.406 WHIP, 61 walks, 149 strikeouts over 154.1 innings in 32 appearances, 29 starts) is going to be a valuable arm that provides depth. Jacob Waguespack (5-5, 4.38 ERA, 1.333 WHIP, 29 walks, 63 strikeouts over 78 innings in 16 appearances, 13 starts), Sam Gaviglio (4-2, 4.61 ERA, 1.118 WHIP, 22 walks, 88 strikeouts over 95.2 innings in 52 appearances) and Thomas Pannone (3-6, 6.16 ERA, 1.425 WHIP, 31 walks, 69 strikeouts over 73 innings in 37 appearances, seven starts) all are versatile arms. One thing set in stone is that Ken Giles (2-3, 1.87 ERA, 23 saves, 1.00 WHIP, 17 walks, 83 strikeouts over 53 innings in 53 appearances) will be the closer.

Starting Lineup:

SS Bo Bichette

2B Cavan Biggio

LF Lourdes Guerriel Jr.

3B Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

1B Travis Shaw

CF Randal Grichuk

RF Teoscar Hernandez

DH Derek Fisher

C Danny Jansen

There is plenty of young talent on the roster of the Blue Jays but it’s going to take some time for them to get up to speed and all start clicking at the same point. With that said, the weapons are there and if the young guys get hot, things could improve quickly. Bichette hit .311 with 18 doubles, 11 homers, and 21 RBI in 46 games after being called up late in the season. He and Biggio (.234, 16 HR, 48 RBI, 14 steals) are going to be the double-play combination for the team going forward. Biggio did hit for the cycle last September but has to cut down on his strikeouts after fanning 123 times in 354 at-bats. Guerriel Jr. has some pop in his bat and will be a versatile hitter in the lineup. He hit .277 with 19 doubles, 20 home runs, and 50 RBI in 84 games last season.

Guerrero Jr. has the bloodline, being the son of Vladimir Guerrero, the Hall of Fame slugger that was inducted in 2018. He was effective last season, hitting .272 with 26 doubles, 15 home runs and 69 RBI over 123 games. Guerrero Jr. limited his strikeouts, fanning 91 times over 464 at-bats. Shaw had a dismal season last year with the Brewers, hitting only .157 with seven homers and 16 RBI over 86 games. It is important to note that he had back to back season with at least 30 homers in 2017 and 2018 before those struggles. Grichuk (.232, 29 doubles, 31 HR, 80 RBI) and Hernandez (.230, 26 HR, 65 RBI) are capable of showing some power but they also create plenty of wind. That duo combined to strike out 316 times last season. Fisher (.185, seven HR, 17 RBI) could be part of a platoon with Rowdy Tellez (.227, 21 HR, 54 RBI) at DH while Jansen (.207, 13 HR, 43 RBI) is near the bottom of the order as well.

The Blue Jays have Brandon Drury (.218, 15 HR, 41 RBI) and Panik (.244, five HR, 39 RBI with the Mets and Giants) to serve as backups in the middle infield. Toronto can also look to Reese McGuire (.299, five HR, 11 RBI) as the backup catcher unless he is supplanted by Caleb Joseph. Anthony Alford (.179, HR, RBI) is a versatile outfielder with some speed while whichever of Tellez and Fisher isn’t in the lineup would provide an additional bat to call on off the bench.

Outlook:

The future is brighter for the Blue Jays, who get another year with limited pressure to develop their young hitters. Biggio, Bichette, Guerriel Jr. and Guerrero Jr. all will improve with another year of seasoning as they familiarize themselves with major league pitchers. The tough part for Toronto is seeing how the back end of their rotation holds up. While Ryu and Roark will do their job, one has to be concerned about Anderson’s inability to go deep in games and Shoemaker’s return from yet another injury. Yamaguchi is unproven at the major league level after spending his entire career in Japan. Toronto is going to be in good shape to add some veterans to work with their young core going forward, either via free agency in the offseason or at the trade deadline.

5)Baltimore Orioles

World Series Odds: 1000-1

AL Pennant Odds: 500-1

AL East Odds: 1000-1

The 2019 season was a train wreck for the Baltimore Orioles, who were seemingly out of the AL East race and the playoff picture in general by the time the first month of the season was over. As it turned out, the Orioles finished the year a dismal 54-108, 49 games behind the division-winning Yankees, 42 games behind the Rays for the second wild-card spot and 13 games behind Toronto to even finish in fourth place. Things don’t project to be a whole lot better for the Orioles this season under second-year manager Brandon Hyde. It looks to be another lost year in what appears to be an extended rebuilding project in the Inner Harbor of Charm City.

Baltimore dealt away their most reliable pitcher in recent years, shipping Dylan Bundy to the Angels for four minor-league arms. In addition, Jonathan Villar, who hit .274 with 33 doubles, 24 homers, 73 RBI and 40 steals while scoring 111 runs, was dealt to the Marlins for Easton Lucas, who has yet to pitch above A-ball in his career. It’s been a pretty quiet offseason for the Orioles, whose biggest acquisition on paper was the claiming of Rio Ruiz after he was waived by Atlanta. He hit .232 with 12 homers and 46 RBI in 127 games last season for Atlanta. Other than that, the team picked up relative unknowns, journeymen and young guys looking to find somewhere to stick. With that said, let’s take a deeper look at what Baltimore brings to the diamond this season:

Starting Rotation:

L John Means

R Alex Cobb

R Asher Wojciechowski

L Wade LeBlanc

R Kohl Stewart

Means made the All-Star Game as a rookie last season but he seemed to hit a wall in the second half of the year. Injuries and the penchant for struggling as Baltimore did, didn’t help his cause down the stretch of the year. All told, he was 12-11 with a 3.60 ERA, a 1.135 WHIP, 38 walks and 121 strikeouts over 155 innings in 31 appearances, 27 starts. With that said, he was 7-4 with a 2.50 ERA and a 1.077 WHIP over 82.2 innings in the first half of the season. After the All-Star break, he went 5-7 with a 4.85 ERA and a 1.203 WHIP over his final 72.1 frames. He’s likely the de facto ace of a less than impressive group.

Cobb was supposed to be a shot in the arm for the Orioles after he signed a deal with Baltimore back in March 2018. However, he’s dealt with a slew of injuries and has posted a 5-17 mark with a 5.36 ERA and a 1.445 WHIP over 146 innings in 31 starts in the past two seasons. That includes a disappointing showing of a 0-2 mark with a 10.95 ERA, a 1.865 WHIP, two walks and eight strikeouts while giving up nine homers in 12.1 innings of work over three starts last year. He needs to step up and help bolster a rotation that is less than impressive. Wojciechowski was 4-8 with a 4.92 ERA, a 1.312 WHIP, 28 walks and 80 strikeouts over 82.1 innings of work in 17 appearances, 16 starts, last year. LeBlanc came to camp as a non-roster invitee but is a solid option to get a spot in the rotation. Last season, he was 6-7 with a 5.71 ERA and a 1.451 WHIP in 26 appearances, eight starts, covering 121.1 innings with the Mariners. Stewart was signed to a contract that puts him on the 40-man roster but not necessarily with the major league club. He was 2-2 with a 6.39 ERA and a 1.461 WHIP in nine appearances, two starts, last season with the Twins. Tommy Milone, provided he rebounds from trapezius and shoulder injuries, along with Hector Velazquez, are capable of stepping in if necessary.

Mychal Givens is likely to reprise the closer role from last season for Baltimore. He went 2-6 with a 4.57 ERA, a 1.19 WHIP, 26 walks and 86 strikeouts over 63 innings in 58 appearances. Givens converted 11 save chances but also blew eight opportunities. As a staff last season, the Orioles posted a team ERA of 5.59 while allowing a major-league record 305 home runs. Five different pitchers allowed at least 22 home runs last season. Of that group, only David Hess and Means remain on the Baltimore 40-man roster.

Lineup:

CF Austin Hays

SS Jose Iglesias

RF Trey Mancini

LF Anthony Santander

DH Renato Nunez

1B Chris Davis

2B Hanser Alberto

3B Rio Ruiz

C Chance Sisco

For the most part, the Orioles lineup of a season ago is intact. Hays gets a chance to prove that he’s capable of taking over center field on a regular basis. He hit .309 with four homers and 13 RBI in 69 at-bats late last season and is going to get every opportunity to succeed. Iglesias was picked up as a free agent in the offseason after hitting .288 with 11 homers and 59 RBI after playing a career-high 146 games for the Reds last season. Mancini had surgery to remove a malignant tumor on March 12th but is going to be an anchor in the Baltimore lineup. He hit .291 with 35 homers, 38 doubles, 97 RBI and 107 runs scored last season. Along with Nunez (.244, 31 homers, 90 RBI), Baltimore has some pop in the middle of the lineup. Santander clubbed 20 homers and drove in 59 runs in 93 games while hitting .261 after taking over his spot in the lineup, so he could be a valuable piece as well. Davis hit 53 homers in 2013 and 47 in 2015 but has fallen off a cliff since that point. His average was a putrid .179 last year with 12 homers in 105 games while striking out 139 times. Sadly, that was an improvement over the .168 mark he posted in 2018. Baltimore still has to deal with the albatross of his contract, which pays him $23 million a year through 2022.

Alberto was a nice find last season, posting a .305 mark with 12 homers and 51 RBI over 139 games. Ruiz will step in at third while Sisco (.210, eight homers, 20 RBI in 59 games) gets another crack to try and unseat the uninspiring Pedro Severino (.249, 13 HR, 44 RBI in 96 games) for the starting catcher role. Dwight Smith Jr. (.241, 13 HR, 53 RBI in 101 games), Cedric Mullins, and corner infielder Ryan Mountcastle could all be in the mix for battling for a bench spot this season. He clubbed 35 doubles, 25 homers and knocked in 83 runs while posting a .312 average in 127 games for Triple-A Norfolk of the International League. Stevie Wilkerson Jr., who hit .225 with 10 homers and 35 RBI in 117 games last season, could be in the mix as well.

Outlook:

There may be light at the end of the tunnel for the Orioles but for the time being, it’s extremely dim. The best prospects in the Baltimore system are likely at least a year or two away at this point in time. That puts Hyde in the unenviable position of being the punching bag for the rest of the division this season. It’s going to be an uphill climb for the Orioles to be able to compete or be much of a force. The Orioles are going to have to hope that Mancini and Nunez can carry the offense, that Alberto can carry over from his solid campaign and that Davis can find some semblance of the hitter he was five or six years ago. Baltimore’s pitching has to improve somewhat as it’s hard to be much worse than they were a season ago. Still, playing in a division where the Yankees won 103 games, the Rays 96 and a banged-up Boston squad still finished with 84, you’re asking a lot to see this team finishing anywhere but the cellar.