A look at the 2009 American League East:
Three storylines
- Can Rays do it again?: The surprise factor won't be there for Tampa Bay, which won the division almost wire-to-wire and went all the way to the World Series. They should be even better with Pat Burrell at DH, but winning can be harder the second time around, especially in this division. And aside from Carl Crawford, the Rays were very lucky in the injury department last season.
- Best rotation on the planet - Boston or New York: It's almost a toss-up, assuming health. The hard-throwing ace: Beckett or Sabathia? (Sabathia, but not in the playoffs.) The crafty import: Matsuzaka or Wang? (Matsuzaka.) The young gun: Lester or Chamberlain? (Lester, for now.) The crafty veteran: Wakefield or Pettitte? (Pettitte.) The oft-injured new guy: Burnett or Penny? (Burnett.) But the Red Sox have John Smoltz, too. You can go either way.
- Yankee impatience: There's a lot of salary on that roster, and you almost need to take out a loan to get tickets to the new Yankee Stadium. Yes, expectations are as high as ever, and you get the feeling that this team could go either way. If there's an unexpected slow start, Joe Girardi is in trouble by May.
Player in spotlight
Alex Rodriguez, Yankees: Who else could it be? He won't play for a month or so, but between steroids, a bad hip and the tabloid media delving into everything in his life, there's nobody under more scrutiny. And he needs to lead the Yankees back to the playoffs to avoid being a goat, too.
Best acquisition
Mark Teixeira, Yankees: CC Sabathia is making the most money, but Teixeira is the best player the Yankees have put at first base since Don Mattingly, and Teixeira should put up even better stats. The Yankee Stadium dimensions are made for him.
Rookie to watch
Koji Uehara, Orioles: Orioles catcher Matt Wieters and Rays pitcher David Price are starting in the minors (both could be rookie of the year candidates), but we'll go with somebody on the actual opening-day roster. Uehara won 112 games in Japan and will be a key starter for a Baltimore team that should be improved, just not enough to contend.
Predicted order of finish, with links to team previews:
- Boston Red Sox: Solid just about everywhere.
- New York Yankees: Money can't buy everything, but will likely buy a wild card.
- Tampa Bay Rays: They'll be in it, but 90 wins won't be enough.
- Baltimore Orioles: Finally some light at the end of the tunnel.
- Toronto Blue Jays: Cost-cutting? Welcome to last place.
What you you think? Make your AL East picks here and compare them with the group.
