Over the next two weeks several writers here at Last Word on Sports will be doing end of season recaps of each division. The recaps will not only be focusing on the 2014 season but will also look ahead to the off-season and the 2015 season. The division recaps will begin with the AL East.
In the past decade this division has been a force to be reckoned with often sending multiple teams each season to the playoffs. However, this season only one team was really in consideration for the playoffs from day one until the season ended. The Red Sox made an impressive turn around going from World Series Champs to last place in in 2014. The Rays finished in fourth with the Blue Jays finishing in third. The Yankees made a weak late season playoff push but it fell short and they were nowhere close to winning the division with the Orioles winning by a full 12 games.
Post Season Recap: AL East
Boston Red Sox
2014 was a rough season for Boston fans as the elation of their team’s 2013 success was short lived. The offense struggled to put up numbers ranking 23rd in home runs and 22nd in the majors in batting average. According to more advanced metrics like wOBA and wRC+ the offense once again was near the bottom with 22nd and 23rd place rankings respectfully. A few offensive bright spots were David Ortiz and Mike Napoli who continued to do what they have always done, which is hit. The midseason trades that returned Yoenis Cespedes, Allan Craig, and Joe Kelley could help to shape the team for 2015. However, there have already been rumors of Cespedes being traded away this off-season and Craig struggled heavily during the 2014 season, and this was especially true of his stint in Boston. There were also several young players who showed well for the team in 2014 with Brock Holt posting a WAR of 2.3 while playing a variety of positions and youngster Mookie Betts showing well with a wRC+ of 130 in his just over 200 plate appearances.
Looking ahead to 2015 a big question for the Sox will be if they believe Xander Bogaerts will play short stop or third base going forward. If the youngster can stick at short then Holt could slot as the team’s primary third baseman. If they decide Xander needs to play third to be successful they have a hole at short stop that needs to be filled. The short stop free agent pool is limited with only Asdrubal Cabrera and Hanley Ramirez as proven options available at the moment. However, looking to trade Cespedes could return the Red Sox a MLB established shortstop if they cannot acquire one via free agency. Another position of need could be at catcher where rookie Christian Vasquez was great defensively but struggled at the plate. They will likely let Vazquez take over behind the plate full time but could sign a veteran free agent like Nick Hundley in case Vazquez struggles at the plate again. They will also likely be heavily involved in the starting pitching free agent market as they traded away three starters (Jon Lester, John Lackey, and Jake Peavy) who all made over 20 starts for Boston last season. Joe Kelly is an established young starter and Clay Bucholtz has shown the ability to be an ace in the past but after those two the rotation is currently full of young unknowns or starters who have struggled in past chances. Like they are every year expect the Red Sox to be heavily involved in Free Agency as they look to once again be crowned World Champions.
Tampa Bay Rays
2014 was an interesting year for the Rays as they lost several key players to injury with Matt Moore missing most of the year due to Tommy John surery and Wil Myers also suffering a significant injury. The mid-season trade of David Price returned them two potential impact players in Drew Smyly who was excellent in a Tampa uniform and Nick Franklin who is a top prospect who has the potential to be one of the better second basemen in the league. The team was 5th worst in the league in terms of home runs although they were slightly better average wise where they ranked 19th in the majors. A few offensive bright spots for the Rays were Ben Zobrist and Kevin Keirmaier. Zobrist just continued what he has done for several of the past few seasons playing multiple positions and preforming well offensively the entire way. Kiermaier was a revelation as he posted a wRC+ of 119 which was not expected of the young outfielder. With the return of Myers this season Kiermaier and Desmond Jennings could be competing for time in center and left next season. However, if the team decides that Franklin is the future at second and moves Zobrist back to the outfield it could make either Jennings or Kiermaier expendable. The rotation figures to be a strength in 2015 with Smyly, Chris Archer, Jake Odorizzi, and Alex Cobb all returning from solid seasons and Moore coming back from his injury. Another interesting thing to see will be how the Rays cope with the loss of manager Joe Maddon who has been integral in the team’s success in recent seasons. Once the Rays replace their longtime skipper they will likely continue their small market ways and build from within as opposed to free agency. However, they have the pieces if fully healthy to make a run at the division title in 2015.
Toronto Blue Jays
After a relatively successful 2014 campaign the Blue Jays front office has a lot of work to do to retain the success. They have already traded Adam Lind to the Milwaukee Brewers for Marco Estrada. Losing Lind opens up first base for Edwin Encarnacion to play full time and it also leaves the DH position open. The team had a very powerful offense ranking third in the MLB in homers in 2014 mostly because of Jose Bautitsta and Encarnacion. The team may be losing several key contributors to Free Agency including outfielders Melky Cabrera and Colby Rasmus. Anthony Gose could slot in as the center fielder for next season but his value is mostly tied to his defense as he struggled at the plate posting a wRC+ of 73. Estrada will likely find a home as a long man in the bullpen but could sneak into a back edge of the rotation joining Mark Buehrle, R.A. Dickey, Drew Hutchison, J.A. Happ, and young potential ace in Marcus Stroman. However Buehrle is coming off a revelation of a season and Dickey has been inconsistent since the trade from the Mets so the Blue Jays could be players for second tier free agent pitchers this offseason. The front office needs to make many key moves if they want to have similar success to their 2015 campaign and if they do not they will likely find themselves at the bottom of the barrel in the AL East. Top priorities include re-signing or replacing Cabrera, and finding either a third baseman or second baseman (Brett Lawrie will start at the unfilled infield spot). Some left handed power would also be a good addition.
New York Yankees
In 2014, the Yankees found themselves competitive late in the season with a team that looked drastically different from the one they began the year with. Pitchers CC Sabathia, Ivan Nova, Michael Pineda, and Masahiro Tanaka all missed chunks of the season with Pineda and Tanaka returning late in the season. However, surprisingly the strength of this team was their rotation and bullpen. Trades for Brandon McCarthy and Chris Capuano as well as the success of rookie Shane Greene were key to why their was still hope in the last week for a Wild Card berth. McCarthy is now a free agent and what the front office decides to with him will be a big question mark for the outlook for the rotation in 2015. The bullpen was bolstered by Dellin Betances who was one the best relievers in the game and David Robertson who filled in well at closer replacing future HOFer Mariano Rivera. The Yankees offered Robertson a qualifying offer but could hypothetically lose him to free agency. The offense was a big issue in the past season, despite ranking 12th in homers the team ranked tied for 21st in wRC+ and 20th in runs scored. Injuries were a key part of this as Carlos Beltran missed time as did Brian McCann and Mark Teixiera. Brett Gardner had a career year, with a career high in home runs. Two key mid-season additions were Chase Headley and Martin Prado. Prado will likely return as the second baseman which was a place of struggle for the Yankees in 2014. Headley is a question mark with the impending return of Alex Rodriguez. Headley was one of the best players in the second half of the year but is an impending free agent. The Yankees should try to re-sign him allowing him to play third base over Rodriguez upon his return, allowing A-Rod to be the designated hitter. The other big question is how they plan to replace Derek Jeter who retired after a historic career in Pinstripes. Jeter struggled number wise but he was an emotional leader and the front office will likely try to make a splash likely targeting Hanley or searching for a trade partner. Possible trade targets are Starlin Castro and Troy Tulowitski but the question mark will be if the Bombers have enough prospect power for either player.
Baltimore Orioles
2014 was a disappointing season for the Orioles as their World Series hopes were ended by a hot Royals team who refused to lose. However, overall the regular season was an extremely successful one for them as they ranked 8th in the league in runs scored. Their strength offensively was their power as they hit the most home runs in the league with 211. The team’s leader was Nelson Cruz where the cheap investment in the slugger made this offseason really paid off for the team as he hit 40 homers leading the American League. The Orioles will look to re-sign Cruz this impending offseason. A few disappointments were Chris Davis and Matt Wieters. Wieters was only a disappointment due to his injury that required Tommy John and knocked him out for the season. His return will only make the offense better in 2015. Davis just struggled mightily in 2014 failing to repeat his breakout season and once again struggling to make contact an problem he struggled with much of his early career. However, the production lost from Davis was taken up by Steve Pearce a journeyman who has bounced around throughout his career and may have found a new home in Baltimore. He posted a wRC+ of 161 which was better than Giancarlo Stanton this past season. If Pearce can continue that success and Cruz is resigned it is not inconceivable for this offense to be even more dangerous in 2015. The starting rotation figures to also be very strong in 2015 with Chris Tillman, Wei-Yin Chen, Bud Norris, and Miguel Gonzalez all returning from productive seasons. The fifth rotation spot will likely go to Kevin Gausman who showed flashes of brilliance as has the potential to be a top of the rotation guy possibly even an ace in the future.
Looking Ahead
In 2015 if the correct moves are made this division is once again the Orioles to lose as most of their team is returning from a team that dominated the division the year before. The Blue Jays who are likely losing a few key performers and will likely see regression from a few other players will likely find themselves at the bottom of the division despite their success this season. The other three teams are all interchangeable depending on the moves the Red Sox and Yankees make but if the Yankees find a new shortstop and their rotation members stay healthy they have the best chance of the other teams of making the playoffs next season. The Rays have built a team similar to their playoff teams from the past with young talent in the rotation and young position players that can compete. The Red Sox need a lot of help as well especially in the rotation but their resources and recent free agent history means that can never be counted out going into a season. However, as recent history has shown this division can fluctuate every year and predicting a winner is never easy.
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