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AL East Preview
The AL East – baseball’s premier division. This division has arguably the best three teams in baseball in the Red Sox, Yankees and Rays. It’s a shame that at least one of them will miss the playoffs. This expert predicts that whichever two make it, those two will meet in the ALCS because they’re just that much more superior to the rest of the American League. I’m also willing to bet that whichever team misses out will be a much better team than the AL Central and AL West winners. Without further ado … the AL “Beast” preview.

Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox enter the season with a healthy version of the team that last took the field in Game 7 of the ALCS, as their improvements will come from a healthier squad. They also made some solid low-risk, high-reward signing in Smoltz, Penny and Saito. Should they all return to their pre-injury form, well the Sox will have the best all-around pitching staff in baseball; they did a great job assembling a deep pitching stable because it’s a the rarest of rare occasions that a pitching staff will see perfect health throughout the grind of the baseball season. And while the Sox offense looked like it needed a boost towards the end of the season and made a strong play to improve the offense with a big free agent signing, the fact remains that they boast one of the deepest lineups. Everyone outside of Ellsbury, Varitek and Lowrie has the potential to hit at least 20 homers, the whole team knows how to be patient and get on-base.
Rotation: Beckett, Lester, Dice-K, Wakefield, Penny (Smoltz on DL)
Key Relievers: Papelbon, Saito, Okajima, Masterson, Delcarmen
Lineup: Ellsbury, CF; Pedroia, 2B; Ortiz, DH; Youkilis, 1B; Drew, RF; Bay, LF; Lowell, 3B; Varitek, C; Lowrie, SS

New York Yankees
Hank and Hal learned a lot from their father – when there’s a problem, throw money at it! While the Yankees spent money like they didn’t get the memo that the economy is in the crapper, they still spent wisely, bringing in the top free agent pitcher, top free agent hitter and top free agent DL trip maker. Their rotation has potential to be the best in the big leagues, should everyone stay healthy. And once A-Rod comes back, their lineup is going to one of the best in the big leagues, so long as A-Rod can perform like A-Rod, which remains to be seen since his hip still needs surgery and since he endured a tough offseason in the scandal department and intestinal fortitude is not his strong suit. The only things that could keep the Yankees out of the playoffs (outside of health, which can submarine any team) would be their bullpen – getting to Rivera may be a problem – and their manager – while former NL Manager of the Year Joe Girardi knows his baseball, he may not have the right personality for the veteran Yankee squad. Lastly, the X-factor for this team might actually be Nick Swisher – not for his bat, but for his defensive versatility and his Millar-esque personality, since the Yankee clubhouse has lately been tighter than a nun’s vagina.
Rotation: Sabathia, Burnett, Wang, Pettitte, Joba
Key Relievers: Rivera, Marte, Bruney, Ramirez, Veras
Lineup: Jeter, SS; Damon, LF; Teixeira, 1B; Posada, C; Matsui, DH; Nady, RF; Cano, 2B; Ransom, 3B; Gardner, CF (A-Rod on DL)

Tampa Bay Rays
While I continued to doubt them even up until Game 7 of the ALCS, they continued to defy the odds and win the AL pennant in such shocking fashion. But I think this will be a tough year for the Rays, mostly because this year they’re going to be wearing the bull’s eye. Plus the long workloads that the young pitching staff had to endure. Plus the bullpen (which grossly over-performed last year) should be more average this year, leading to more blown games. Then again, the general consensus is that they will struggle, so maybe they can be motivated by the “nobody believed in us” factor as they were last year. They certainly have one of the biggest collections of talented youngsters in the game, with B.J. Upton, Longoria and Crawford all should continue to fulfill their great promise. Nothing can shock me with this team, however, I feel when the chips get cashed in at season’s end, the Rays are going to be the team on the outside looking in. Which is a shame since they’re not only a top-3 in the AL, they’re a top-3 team in all of baseball.
Rotation: Shields, Kazmir, Garza, Sonnanstine, Niemann (Price in the minors)
Key Relievers: Percival, Wheeler, Balfour, Howell, Isringhausen (DL)
Lineup: Iwamura, 2B; Upton, CF; Pena, 1B; Longoria, 3B; Crawford, LF; Burrell, DH; Joyce, RF; Navarro, C; Bartlett, SS

Toronto Blue Jays
This should be a trying year for the Jays; while they still have perennial Cy Young Award workhorse Doc Halladay, aging star Vernon Wells, on-the-cusp star Alex Rios and potential star Travis Snider, they don’t have much else to write home about. Losing two members to late season injuries that will keep them out this year was quite the blow as they will send out three quite unknown pitchers in their rotation. In any other division in the AL, they could make a run, but not in the AL East. They will need to rely on their drafting and developing of players in the next year or two to get back into the thick of things.
Rotation: Halladay, Litsch, Purcey, Romero, Richmond
Key Relievers: Ryan, Downs, Carlson
Lineup: Hill, 2B; Rios, RF; Wells, CF; Snider, DH; Rolen, 3B; Overbay, 1B; Lind, LF; Barajas, C; Scutaro, SS

Baltimore Orioles
I really like the Orioles offense (especially when they wise up and get super-stud prospect Matt Wieters into the lineup) with Roberts, Markakis, Jones and (gulp, can’t believe I’m writing this) Huff. Scott and Mora are solid hitters too. But this rotation, spearheaded by the slightly above average Jeremy Guthrie, is downright terrible. They say you can never have enough pitching – apparently the Orioles didn’t get the memo. They will mash their way to plenty of wins and, like the Jays, could have actually had a chance in another division. But the AL Beast is just too strong for the young Orioles. But also like the Jays, they could be right into the thick of things come 2010 or 2011.
Rotation: Guthrie, Uehara, Eaton, Hendrickson, Simon
Key Relievers: Sherrill, Ray, Baez, Walker
Lineup: Roberts, 2B; Izturis, SS; Markakis, RF; Huff, 1B; Mora, 3B; Scott, DH; Jones, CF; Zaun, C; Pie/Freel, LF (Wieters in the minors)