One Bold Prediction For Every AL East Team
The MLB season is right around the corner, with Opening Day just three and a half weeks away. The American League East is stacked with talent from top to bottom. Here’s one bold prediction for each team.
Yankees: Bronx Bombers miss the playoffs
The Yankees are coming off a pretty hectic off-season to say the least. They re-signed their guy in Aaron Judge to a nine-year, 360 million dollar contract, went out and signed one of the best starters on the market in Carlos Rodon, and re-signed Anthony Rizzo to a two-year deal.
But, it was not exactly peaches and cream. The Judge sweepstakes were complicated with the Giants heavily involved. So complicated that MLB Network Insider Jon Heyman mistakenly announced Judge to the Giants the evening before he signed with New York.
2022 Trade Deadline acquisition SP Frankie Montas will also be out until the second half after undergoing shoulder surgery on February 21. Montas always had some injury concerns, but why was this not seen in the physical when the Yankees acquired him from Oakland?
Brian Cashman also tendered a contract to Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Josh Donaldson who are still owed 21 million in 2023. Unless traded, which is unlikely at this point, Boone has his hands tied and will have to give these guys playing time.
Overall, the Yankees’ offseason just did not impress me. Yes, you resigned Judge. Yes, you bolstered your rotation even more. But, you are banking on Judge having the same season he did last year so he can carry the load. It is not going to happen. Failure to prepare is preparing to fail.
Rays: Pitching staff finishes with the best earned-run average (ERA) in the American League
Year in and year out, we know what we are getting with Kevin Cash’s squad. On offense, they are scrappy, they put the ball in play, they steal bases. Small ball. On defense, they make the routine plays. And on the pitching side, they straight-up dominate.
Young southpaw Shane McClanahan is healthy after going down in the second half of last season. He will be looking to regain that first-half magic he had in 2022. Tyler Glasnow, remember him? He will be back in most likely May after suffering an oblique injury during Spring Training. Despite the tough news, his elbow is fully recovered from Tommy John and he will be a nice piece to add in the spring. Following that dominant one-two punch are Drew Rasmussen, Jeffrey Springs, and Zach Eflin. For depth, they have Yonny Chirinos and Luis Patino.
Those guys alone will put you in a good position to win. But there is also the bullpen, which has been heavily involved in Cash’s opener gameplan for a few years now. The bullpen is headlined by Jason Adam, Pete Fairbanks, and Andrew Kittredge.
If everything goes right for this staff, the sky is the limit.
Red Sox: Sox win 90 games, just sneak into October
Put simply, this Red Sox team has nothing to lose. Every team, fan, writer, and analyst has this team finishing in last after last season’s atrocity. Everything went wrong for Boston last year thanks to injuries and poor play. This year is going to be different.
Chris Sale is healthy and here to stay. Garrett Whitlock has been moved to the rotation for good. Bloom went out and got Corey Kluber, who is past his prime but provides great movement with his diverse pitch mix and a veteran presence in the locker room. Brayan Bello is also ready to take the next step in his young career after improving each time out last season.
Bloom drastically improved the bullpen as well, acquiring Chris Martin, Kenley Jansen, Joely Rodriguez, and Richard Bleier to complement John Schreiber and Tanner Houck.
The big storyline of the offseason was Rafael Devers signing a massive extension that will keep him in Boston until he is 36. Triston Casas also returns after posting a 120 weighted runs created plus (wRC+) in just 27 games. Kike Hernandez has taken a bigger role as one of the leaders of the clubhouse as he returns from a hip injury that kept him sidelined for most of 2022. Along with the returners, Bloom acquired Adalberto Mondesi, Justin Turner, Adam Duvall, and Masataka Yoshida. Additionally, Trevor Story aims to return for 2023 as he recovers from elbow surgery.
Things need to go right for the Sox to make noise. This team is very high-risk, high-reward, but I think we can see things work out in their favor in 2023.
Blue Jays: Jose Berrios rebounds, posts a sub-four ERA
Toronto traded for Berrios at the 2021 deadline in hopes of making a playoff push. They did not make it to October, but Berrios had a really nice second half, posting a 3.58 ERA and 1.09 walks and hits per inning (WHIP).
2022 was a different story. Berrios fell off, pitching to a horrific 5.23 ERA and 1.42 WHIP. Batters teed off on his fastball, specifically.
Berrios’ difficulties could have come in a number of ways. Obviously, it was the fastball. It was his first full season in Toronto, which is not the states, either. In his second full year with the Blue Jays and an entire offseason to work on the number one pitch, it is looking up for the 28-year-old righty.
Orioles: Gunnar Henderson wins AL Rookie of the Year
The O’s exceeded expectations in 2022, walking away with a .500 record, something that not many expected.
They were carried by their youth, a trend that will continue in the next few years with their loaded farm system. One of the guys who came onto the scene with September call-ups was top prospect infielder Gunnar Henderson.
Henderson played in 34 games, posting a .259/.348/.440 slash line with four homers, seven doubles, 18 runs batted in, and a 123 on-base plus slugging plus (OPS+). The youngster split time at third, second, and shortstop, as he provides great versatility. He will have a chance to be the everyday third baseman for the O’s in 2023.
While the Orioles did not do much during the offseason, Henderson has a chance to be the AL ROY with his sweet lefty swing and smooth glove.
