2023 AL East Preview: Good Teams Everywhere
In the next week of our division previews here at Vendetta Sports Media, we have the American League East, the first of our American League division previews.
The AL East should be very competitive in 2023, as it was in 2022. Three teams made the playoffs and four were above .500, including the Baltimore Orioles who almost found themselves in the playoffs. The team that went the furthest in 2022 was the New York Yankees, who reached the ALCS before being swept by Houston.
The Yankees got a huge division lead early in the season that they never relinquished. In July, they had a 15.5-game lead, a lead that would finish at seven games.
What will happen in 2023? Let’s predict.
5th Place: Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox had a lot of decision-making to do this winter. That decision-making started with picking either Xander Bogaerts or Rafael Devers. They chose Devers. They also had to rebuild their bullpen and rotation.
As far as the bullpen, I actually really liked what they ended up doing, headlined by the addition of Kenley Jansen. Adding two lefties Richard Bleier and Joely Rodríguez will give them a boost, as well as former Dodger Chris Martin.
The rotation, however, is looking pretty rough. They need guys to get them to that bullpen, and I just don’t see it right now. Corey Kluber has been aging like milk, James Paxton hasn’t been the same these last few seasons and you can’t rely on Chris Sale to be consistently healthy.
Four of the five in their starting rotation are over 30. Which is fine, except they all haven’t been aging very well.
The lineup is subpar. They don’t have a go-to catcher. They replaced Bogaerts with Justin Turner. They’ll have to rely on unproven players like Matasaka Yoshida.
It’s not going to be this season for Boston. The AL East is too strong. I don’t hate their team, but help is needed all over the diamond.
Projected record: (73-89)
4th Place: Baltimore Orioles
It is so difficult to not place the Orioles any further than fourth in this division this year, but I can’t bring myself to rank them any higher.
The Orioles are just not one hundred percent there just yet. They are no longer a punching bag of the AL East like in years back, but they are not quite a World Series team.
When Adley Rutschman joined the O’s in 2022, he had a massive impact right away. The team went 56-37 after Rutschman’s arrival. He is the heartbeat of their team.
Adam Frazier is a solid pickup. Gunnar Henderson is the odds-on favorite for AL Rookie of the Year. They acquired Cole Irvin and Kyle Gibson to headline their rotation. As for the bullpen, they saw breakout years from Félix Bautista and Dillon Tate. Starter John Means will likely be back from injury as well.
Baltimore is almost there. Next offseason, I would love to see them muster up some actual spending and get some big-fish free agents. For now, they’ll just come up short of their goals in a loaded division.
Projected record: (83-79)
3rd Place: Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay should be very competitive again in 2023. They’ll have an AL MVP candidate in Wander Franco. As for the pitching staff, it’s time for Tyler Glasnow‘s return.
Tampa Bay only got two starts out of the star Glasnow in 2022. Once he starts rolling again, he’s a monster to deal with. Following Glasnow is Shane McClanahan, who nearly won the Cy Young himself last season. They gave the biggest contract in Rays’ history to Zach Eflin. Their bullpen is really strong, headlined by Pete Fairbanks and Jason Adam who exploded onto the scene in 2022.
The lineup is really strong once again, knowing Franco’s impact if he stays on the field. Yandy Díaz had a career year and got paid for it, receiving a three-year contract. Randy Arozarena and Brandon Lowe are cornerstones. Tampa Bay’s lineup is strong but not very deep. It is their weakness as it stands today.
Tampa Bay should have another good year, but the AL East is strong. Are they ready to compete for a World Series in 2023? I’m not sure.
Projected record: (87-75)
2nd Place: Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto has to be one of the most exciting teams in MLB this season. How could you not love this lineup?
George Springer is a veteran superstar, and Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are the team’s young stars. Don’t forget about the hit machine Whit Merrifield or the newly acquired Daulton Varsho. They upgraded their outfield by acquiring Varsho and shedding Lourdes Gurriel Jr., as well as picking up Kevin Kiermaier.
The rotation needs to prove its worth. Alek Manoah was the team’s best pitcher last year. Since José Berríos came over from Minnesota, he hasn’t been very good at all. The same goes for Yusei Kikuchi He needs to improve from last year if the Jays want to get back to the playoffs. Chris Bassitt is a good pickup, but he wasn’t very good when it mattered for the Mets last season.
Their bullpen is strong at the top, but not very deep. Jordan Romano finished fourth in MLB in saves last year. Erik Swanson was a good pickup. Beyond that? I’m just not sure.
Toronto might have what it takes to overtake the Yankees for this division. It is very possible. But in my prediction world, I just don’t see it happening right now. It’ll be interesting to see where Toronto stands at the trade deadline.
Let’s not forget they had a massive lead 8-1 lead on Seattle and were a few outs away from advancing to the ALDS before they completely collapsed. Will they suffer a similar fate in 2023?
Projected record: (94-68) 2nd AL Wild Card
1st Place: New York Yankees
The Yankees should be the premier team of the AL East again in 2023. It started with re-signing AL Home Run king Aaron Judge.
They only got better this winter. They still have some holes in their lineup, (cough cough, Aaron Hicks and Josh Donaldson), but Judge and Giancarlo Stanton could be shiny enough to ignore them. Oswald Peraza was good last year, and Jose Trevino punched above his weight as an All-Star last season.
The Pinstripes found a true number two to pair up with Gerrit Cole in Carlos Rodon. They lost Frankie Montas in Spring Training, but they have plenty of depth to replace him. Also, how can you not love Nestor Cortes?
As far as the bullpen is concerned, you have to really like what they have with Clay Holmes and free agent Tommy Kahnle. Beyond that, there are some question marks.
The reason I think the Yankees will finish ahead of Toronto and Tampa Bay in 2023 will be their pitching staff, easily one of the best groups in the league.
Projected record: (97-65) 2nd seed in AL
There is my 2023 AL East preview. This division is really strong from top to bottom. I genuinely think any team in this division can win it in 2023, besides Boston.
Baltimore and Toronto are two of my favorite teams to watch in the league. The Yankees are a menacing talent looking to get over the hump and reach a World Series. I will like Tampa Bay even more once they ditch that awful stadium.
Expect a really good brand of baseball to be played by the AL East in 2023.
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