BREAKING DOWN THE AL EAST COMPETITION

The Yankees have re-established themselves as the Evil Empire this winter. The defending AL East division champs are reloaded and ready to go, but what about the rest of the division?

It's hard to compete with a splashy signing like Gerrit Cole, but this free agent class has been once of the most exciting in recent years. There were a lot of good names out there, so what did the rest of the division do? Spring Training is around the corner and judging by off-season moves so far, the Yankees look like they have a large gap between them and everyone else.

Even if the Yankees are finished making anymore moves, we should all feel confident in the team we have to start the season. So far, the Rays and the Blue Jays are the only teams that have tried to make moves and improve their roster. It's weird to say that because we have quite the history with the Red Sox....but they have been quiet.

The Rays were a thorn in the Yankees side last season and managed to win 96 games. I think the Rays will still be a team to watch and they have made significant moves this off-season including letting Travis D'Arnaud leave for free agency and trading Tommy Pham, a clubhouse veteran to the Padres for Hunter Renfroe and infield prospect Xavier Edwards....but was it an improvement? I don't know, it doesn't seem that way right now. I am skeptical about Renfroe because he can hit a lot of home runs but he also strikes out a lot. Last week they also traded a top pitching prospect to the Cardinals for left-hander Matthew Liberatore, and big bats Jose Martinez and Randy Arozarena. The extra offense look like a nice boost for now but it will be interesting to see if it pays off long term. The Rays will be a team to watch again and could win 90-plus games again if they have good seasons from top starters Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow.

The Blue Jays also had a busy winter and are another team to watch. They added more arms to their starting rotation including Hyun-Jin Ryu, and got Chase Anderson in a trade with the Brewers. They also signed Travis Shaw to replace Justin Smoak at first base. The Blue Jays new additions added to their exciting young group of Vlad Guerrero Jr, Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio will be a fun team to watch. They will be much improved compared to their 2019 season where they only won 67 games.

As for the Red Sox and Orioles....well, they haven't made any big moves. The Red Sox and Mookie Betts came to an agreement to avoid arbitration but other than that, nothing. They are caught in a scenario where they are rumored to want to cut payroll but John Henry backtracks and claims they will remain competitive HERE. Not sure how Henry expects to remain competitive when he isn't making any moves to keep up with the rest of the division....minus the Orioles.

And as for the 2020 Orioles they are still 2019 the Orioles. They lost 108 games last season and will probably have a similar season again. They haven't made any  additions and last season they traded away their best player and then the Orioles fired their scouts. This franchise is in an embarrassing free fall.

The Yankees have made the right moves this winter. There's a lot of distance between them and everyone else. Now the just have to stay healthy and play good baseball and the wins will come. Is there another AL East team that you will be watching closely this season? Comment and let us know.

In the meantime, let's see if any other moves are made. I can't wait for Spring Training....I'm having serious baseball withdrawals.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj