AL East Division Preview: Yankees, Blue Jays Expected to Slug It Out for Division Supremacy

Can the Baltimore Orioles Take the Next Step?

There aren’t many divisions that can match the star power and depth of the American League East and that is reflected in the American League East Division preview.

The New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays are favored to battle for the division title. The Baltimore Orioles seem to be a little undervalued.

Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees, Vlad Guerrero, George Springer and Bo Bichette of the Toronto Blue Jays, Rafael Devers of the Boston Red Sox, Adley Rutschman of the Baltimore Orioles and Wander Franco of the Tampa Bay Rays are among the top 18 candidates in the ‘odds to win’ the AL Most Valuable Player Award.

When looking at the latest MLB latest betting news, Gerrit Cole of the Yankees and Alek Manoah of the Toronto Blue Jays are second and third in the American League Cy Young Award odds.

Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson has the top odds in the AL Rookie of the Year race with the Boston Red Sox duo of Masataka Yoshida (+550) and Triston Casas (+1000) not far behind.

Here is a team-by-team breakdown of the American League East teams heading into the 2023 season.

The Orioles are most certainly up and coming. Catcher Adley Rutschman is the face of this Orioles team.

Baltimore brought back outfielders Anthony Santander, Austin Hays and Cedric Mullins. Still, when it comes to the American League East Division preview, the Orioles are at the bottom of the pecking order.

Infielder Gunnar Henderson is ready for his first full MLB season as he gives Baltimore another talented young hitter.

There are questions if Baltimore has enough pitching to keep up in the rugged AL East. Jordan Lyles was the only pitcher with more than 10 wins for the Orioles last season and he is now with the Kansas City Royals.

Another year and another key player headed for greener pastures.
Shortstop Xander Bogaerts is now with the San Diego Padres while J.D. Martinez will be hitting home runs for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Pitchers Nathan Eovaldi and Michael Wacha have also moved on.

The bullpen will benefit from the arrival of Kenley Jansen, a two-time National League saves leader.

Infielder Rafael Devers is one of the front-runners in the American League MVP odds. Will he have enough protection, especially with infielder Trevor Story missing part of the 2023 season? Outfielder Masataka Yoshida was a big offseason addition.

The big news was that the Yankees re-signed outfielder Aaron Judge who is coming off a season when he set the American League record with 62 home runs.

Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Rizzo and Gleyber Torres are among the other top hitters returning as the American League East Division preview favors the Yankees.

Carlos Rodon, who was sixth in the National League Cy Young voting, was signed to help the starting rotation. However, an injury will make the Yankees fans wait to see Rodon be a part of the rotation to join Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortes.

There will be plenty of eyes on infielder Wander Franco and Randy Arozarena is another rising star.

The key for Tampa Bay will be the pitching staff:

Shane McClanahan and Drew Rasmussen lead the way and when healthy, Tyler Glasnow can be a dominating presence. It will be interesting to see where Tampa Bay falls in the 2023 MLB standings.

Losing Shane Baz as a result of Tommy John surgery is a big blow.

However, there is more than enough pitching depth to cover for his loss.

The outfield will look much different with Kevin Kiermaier and Daulton Varsho, two elite fielders joining George Springer. Springer is moving to right field and that could also ease the physical burden on a player who has struggled with injuries.

Springer, Vlad Guerrero, Alejandro Kirk and Bo Bichette are among the opt offensive players with Varsho and Brandon Belt among the newcomers who can provide additional power.

Alek Manoah and Kevin Gausman will lead the pitching staff.
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