American League East
(teams listed in predicted order of finish)
NEW YORK YANKEES
2020 outlook: Few teams benefit from the season’s delayed start as much as the Yankees, who were ravaged by injuries during the original spring training. Right-hander Luis Severino is still out for the year after undergoing Tommy John, but sluggers Aaron Judge (hip) and Giancarlo Stanton (calf) appear set to play Opening Day against the defending champion Washington Nationals. Add in new ace right-hander Gerrit Cole to lead a pitching staff that received 306 home runs last season from an offense that mostly returns the same players, and New York looks like the team to beat in the American League East and beyond.
New faces: Cole was the main pitching prize of the winter, coming off a second-place finish in the AL Cy Young voting last season while a member of the Houston Astros. The 29-year-old former Yankee draft pick led the league with 326 strikeouts and had an AL-leading 2.50 ERA to go with 20 wins. Aside from Cole, the Yankees didn’t make any other major moves over the offseason, but more from Stanton (18 games in 2019) would feel like a major addition to an already potent offense.
Key subtractions: Shortstop Didi Gregorius, the heir to Derek Jeter at the position, left for the Philadelphia Phillies as a free agent during the offseason. Gregorius played just 82 games during an injury-marred 2019 campaign. Also gone is slugger Edwin Encarnacion, who joined the Yankees last year as part of a midseason trade. Encarnacion signed with the Chicago White Sox as a free agent. Severino (Tommy John) is a key loss for the season, though he made just three starts last year.
FLM predicts: The Yankees take advantage of a weaker American League East to cruise to the best record in the AL and contend for their first World Series trophy since 2009. Even if it’s a short season, No. 28 would still feel sweet.
TAMPA BAY RAYS
2020 outlook: The Rays caught some off-guard with a 96-win campaign last season, though they fell flat in the opening round of the playoffs to the eventual pennant-winning Astros. Nobody will be counting out Tampa Bay this year, with only being in the same division as arguably the best team in the league in the Yankees working against the club. A busy offseason has the Rays looking to push the Yankees in the East, and the short season might favor Tampa Bay given its penchant for performing better in the first half the last several years.
New faces: Tampa Bay added a serious threat to its lineup in the form of former St. Louis Cardinals slugger Jose Martinez, who has hit .298 over the last four seasons. New addition Hunter Renfroe (33 home runs for the San Diego Padres in 2019) brings power to the outfield, and fellow former Padre Manuel Margot (12 home runs, 20 stolen bases last season) is an upside bet with five-tool potential. Intrigue surrounds Japanese import Yoshitomo Tsutsugo, who comes off six straight seasons of 20 home runs in the Nippon Professional Baseball Organization, including a league-best 44 in 2016.
Key subtractions: Outfielder Tommy Pham went to the Padres via trade after a 2019 season with 21 home runs and 25 stolen bases. Also gone is outfielder Avisail Garcia, who finally showed signs of putting it all together last season with 20 home runs and a .282 average. Garcia signed with the Milwaukee Brewers as a free agent. The Atlanta Braves poached backup catcher Travis d’Arnaud, who was a pleasant surprise for Tampa Bay in 2019 with 16 home runs (including a memorable three-homer game) in limited action.
FLM predicts: The Rays give the Yankees a run for their money but settle for second in the AL East and a playoff berth. But anything can go in the postseason, and a rotation consisting of Charlie Morton, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow can put Tampa Bay in position for a deep run.
TORONTO BLUE JAYS
2020 outlook: All eyes are on Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as the Blue Jays enter 2020 as a team perceived to be on the rise. Last year saw the major league debut of the 21-year-old phenom Guerrero, and fellow rookie Cavan Biggio (16 home runs, 14 stolen bases) also showed signs of promise in 100 games. Joining the two sons of Hall of Famers is another young stud with MLB pedigree in Bo Bichette, who hit .311 in 196-at bats in 2019. Toronto likely won’t contend during the short season (it doesn’t even have a home park at the moment), but it could do a lot to show it isn’t far from its first postseason berth since 2016.
New faces: One of the biggest splashes of the offseason came in the form of the Blue Jays signing reigning ERA champion Hyun-jin Ryu to a four-year, $80 million contract. Ryu had a microscopic 2.32 ERA for the Los Angeles Dodgers last season, finishing second in the National League Cy Young vote. Further bolstering the Blue Jays’ rotation is right-hander Tanner Roark (4.35 ERA in 2019), and fellow righty Chase Anderson (4.21 ERA) could provide a boost once he returns from an oblique injury. On offense, Toronto takes a flier on infielder Travis Shaw, who hit 32 home runs in 2018 but just seven last year.
Key subtractions: The Blue Jays bid farewell to longtime first baseman Justin Smoak, who signed with the Milwaukee Brewers as a free agent. Smoak had a down 2019 for Toronto with a .208 batting average, though he provided three straight seasons of 20-plus home runs.
FLM predicts: Guerrero shows signs of breaking out with a move to a new position at first base, putting him in line for an epic 2021. Then is when the Blue Jays really start cooking. But for now, the team is likely to muddle in mediocrity for the short campaign.
BOSTON RED SOX
2020 outlook: Part of the Red Sox likely wishes the 2020 season was just canceled. A rough year is expected for the 2018 World Series winners, with MVP outfielder Mookie Betts now a member of the Dodgers and ace left-hander Chris Sale out for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. David Price was also traded, and Eduardo Rodriguez is recovering from a grueling bout with coronavirus, leaving Boston with a hodgepodge of starting pitchers entering the start of the short campaign. The offense still packs a punch, though it might not be enough to overcome the team’s other shortcomings.
New faces: Outfielder Alex Verdugo will receive a fair share of attention as the headline return from the Dodgers in the Betts-Price deal. A highly touted prospect, Verdugo hit .294 with 12 home runs in 106 games with Los Angeles last season. Boston added former AL East nemesis Kevin Pillar to play the valuable role of fourth outfielder, and left-hander Martin Perez will be counted on in the rotation given its short-staffed status. Perez, once a reliable arm for the Texas Rangers, posted a 5.12 ERA in 165 1/3 innings with the Minnesota Twins last season.
Key subtractions: Where to start? Ousted was manager Alex Cora, who was later suspended for the year for his role in the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal. Bench coach Ron Roenicke takes over at the helm. On the field, Betts’ absence is expected to loom large over the club, and not having Price in the rotation is a significant hit (though Price has opted out of playing for the Dodgers due to the coronavirus). Beyond the big names, clubhouse leaders in right-hander Rick Porcello (signed by the New York Mets) and Brock Holt (Brewers) are gone, leaving the Red Sox as a team seeking to establish a new identity.
FLM predicts: Boston’s offense can still slug with the best of them, but it won’t be enough to overcome a pitching staff relying on the frequently injured Nathan Eovaldi to be its ace for the start of the season. The Red Sox have a season to forget, but their young core have them ready to retool over the offseason.
BALTIMORE ORIOLES
2020 outlook: The Orioles welcome the 2020 season as another year closer to getting out of Chris Davis’ albatross contract. The underachieving recipient of the $161 million pact has become the face of a disappointing Baltimore team that has struggled to two of its worst seasons in franchise history the last two years. Better days are surely ahead for the Orioles, but it won’t be this season. Instead, fans will get a glimmer of hope as outfielder Austin Hays appears set for his first full major league campaign.
New faces: As a team with no shot at contending, Baltimore didn’t shake much up over the offseason. Shortstop Jose Iglesias joins from the Cincinnati Reds after hitting .288 last season, and fans looking for anything worth watching will likely be treated to some marvelous plays from the defensive whiz.
Key subtractions: The Orioles finally gave up on former No. 4 overall pick Dylan Bundy over the offseason, shipping the right-hander to the Los Angeles Angels. Bundy never quite clicked over the last four seasons in Baltimore, the final straw being his 4.79 ERA in 30 starts last season. Speedy utility man Jonathan Villar was flipped to the Miami Marlins via trade, and Mark Trumbo is still a free agent after concluding his $37.5 million contract with the Orioles with a whimper. Missed will be slugger Trey Mancini, whom we wish the best as he battles colon cancer.
FLM predicts: Another year in the cellar of the AL East for the Orioles, who will be in the running for worst record in the league yet again. At least the slog will be much shorter.
