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The Yankees can win the AL East again

By Benjamin Orr

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For some reason, the perception that the Toronto Blue Jays acquisitions back in November make them automatically the AL East champion is rather absurd. Sure, the additions they got from the Miami Marlins are nice and all, but what was Miami’s record in 2012? 69-93. If the four core players sent in that trade to Toronto couldn’t have jelled together in Miami, what is going to be the difference on a new team? I mean sure, the Blue Jays are going to be in the upper echelon of the division, at least on paper, but realistically folks, the New York Yankees aren’t going anywhere.

Rhetorical question: Is there a better second baseman than Robinson Cano? Image: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports)

On paper, the Boston Red Sox should have won the World Series in 2011 with their team. What happened in 2011? They missed the playoffs. So tell me, do the big splash trades always make a difference? I’m not saying the Blue Jays are going to be unsuccessful with who they acquired, not to mention also trading for R.A. Dickey, but is it going to be as lethal as what speculation first told us?

Somehow I have a hard time believing that. You can stick a bunch of players on one team and hope it holds, but there’s also the human aspect, the chemistry that’s involved that makes a team function. I mean, basketball-wise, look at the Los Angeles Lakers, ouch.

Whatever preconceived notion people have about these stacked teams is rubbish. So what if the Yankees had a rather quiet off season? It’s not exactly the worst thing in the world mind you, just take a look at our own Hunter Farman’s article. The Yankees haven’t really made any subtle moves because it’s quite obvious they needed A) a third baseman while Alex Rodriguez is out and B) an actual designated hitter.

Let’s take a look at the teams of the AL East besides the Blue Jays:

Boston Red Sox 

So Boston is stuck in the perpetual “where do we go from here” stage. Sure they have a few nice additions, namely a first baseman, but how much do the other players factor into their overall re-hauling of the team? They don’t. I’m not just saying this because I am a Yankees’ fan, but Boston has next to nothing when it comes to starting pitching. Clay Buchholz is perhaps the only positive in this rotation with a struggling Jon Lester, a John Lackey coming off of a missed year, a veteran new to the AL East in Dempster, and perhaps plug in options with Felix Doubront and Andrew Miller. Boston may have a decent offense, but the starting pitching is going to struggle, thus driving the Sox down once again.

Tampa Bay Rays

For Tampa Bay, they still lack the necessary offense to be a huge threat. The re-signing of Luke Scott is a nice touch, but he, Ben Zobrist and Evan Longoria can’t do all the work alone. Perhaps at some point this year the Rays will see Myers come up from the minors as he was extremely close with the Kansas City Royals last season. The loss of James Shields isn’t as drastic as most people think with pitchers Alex Cobb and Matt Moore stepping up alongside the Rays’ usual Jeremy Hellickson and 2012 Cy Young winner in David Price. Yet again, the Rays have a scary good rotation alongside a decent bullpen (re-signing Kyle Farnsworth and the dominance from Fernando Rodney) so look for them to be near the top even with a suspect offense.

Hiroki Kuroda did extremely well at Yankee Stadium and against the Orioles in 2012. (Image: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports)

Baltimore Orioles

The term “Oriole magic” certainly is one that had some punch backing it up. The Orioles definitely surprised the MLB last season as they were neck and neck with the Yankees for the AL East and even faced them in the ALDS. Really for the O’s, nothing in particular stands out except after the 7th inning. The pitching is okay, the offense is somewhat decent but the bullpen was electric. Jim Johnson, who recorded a career-high 51 saves in 2012, became the staple of the Oriole bullpen. The losses of Mark Reynolds and Robert Andino may not exactly play in the favor of the O’s, but if they can find that magic from last season, who knows what really can happen in Baltimore.

Looking at these teams, they all have certain qualities, which yes, do make them a threat. That said, how does that hurt the Yankees, who aside from losing Nick Swisher, Russell Martin and Raul Ibanez, who have pretty much stayed the same. I was ecstatic when the Yankees signed Travis Hafner, something that for whatever reason, some people are opposed to. Yes, Hafner has had injury problems, but his power makes up for that. Not to mention, the addition of Kevin Youkilis is just genius at this point.

The Rays have always presented a threat to the Yanks, since Joe Maddon took over as manager, so they are definitely a team to watch for. However, this Yankee team really hasn’t changed much from last year aside from Ichiro Suzuki being the right fielder, the catcher spot being wide open and third base being occupied by someone the Bombers couldn’t previously envision. The pitching is great, the bullpen is solid and if the bats awake, then why exactly are the Yankees so looked down upon? That makes no sense to me and I really think they have another legitimate shot at winning the AL East.

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