For Better Or For Worse 3: Revenge Of The Sith - AL East.

For the third year, we're delving deep into the new season before it begins, in our annual For Better Or For Worse series. As always, let's kick things off with the American League East Division.

Baltimore Orioles - Recording their first winning season since 1997 wasn't good enough for these Birds. They managed to secure a Wild Card spot and beat the Rangers in the inaugural play-in game, where they bore a first-round exit to none other than their postseason nemeses, the Yankees. But make no mistake, they haven't flown the coop. After a year when they managed to push their first Division Series appearance in 15 years to a full 5 games, the Orioles look to build on a 2012 campaign that saw them post a 93-69 record, with the lowest run differential (+7) of any postseason team. With a core of Adam Jones (who signed a record 6-year, $96 million contract), Manny Machado (who's already drawing strong comparisons to another famous Orioles shortstop), and Wei-Yin Chen (their young hurler who was the only starter to make more than 20 starts last season), the Birds have a great team going forward, regardless of whether or not they end up relying on midseason pickups and callups like they did with Nate McLouth and Lew Ford. As it stands, their biggest offseason acquisition has been...well, nobody. They've signed plenty of fringe players to minor league pacts with the option to make the big ballclub, but not a single player of impact has yet to sign in Baltimore. Considering that there are only a few important free agents left, only one of which (Kyle Lohse) fits the description of a player that they could really use, it seems doubtful that the O's are going to add any more significant pieces, and just hope that the good will fostered in the fans by Buck Showalter's magic will be enough to carry them even further in October 2013.
BEST CASE SCENARIO: They continue to build on 2012, Adam Jones wins the MVP, and they make their first ALCS since Cal Ripken, Jr.
WORST CASE SCENARIO: The Birds have their wings clipped by everyone else in the division, the pitching fails miserably, and they begin a new streak of consecutive losing seasons.
WHAT THEY NEED TO SUCCEED: Another outfielder certainly couldn't hurt. The options are very limited, so the chances of an impact free agent joining are slim. The O's may have to scour the minor leagues for a solution. As stated before, Lohse would be a nice fit here as well, but it's hard to see him on the bump there. If they can continue to get production out of players like McLouth and Markakis, they should be fine.

Boston Red Sox - As a baseball fan, it's hard to watch a team like the Red Sox go through what they've experienced since September 2011. As a Yankees fan, it's downright hilarious. But no matter how you paint the picture, this is a Boston team that has a long way to go before they can be considered contenders again, especially with the re-emergence of the Orioles, a Rays team that gets better by the season, a Blue Jays team with everything to lose, and their eternal rivals in New York. After finishing 2012 with a 69-93 record (their worst since 1966), they got rid of Bobby Valentine, a move that can only be described as "the easiest choice ever made in baseball history", and after a bit of haggling, they finally got the man at the helm (John Farrell) that they've wanted since before Terry Francona was run out of town, but he quickly became the captain of a rapidly sinking ship. They resigned designated hitter and franchise player David Oritz to a 2-year deal, something he's been asking for since 2009, and managed to snag a lot of the premier free agents, signing Shane Victorino, Stephen Drew, Ryan Dempster, Jonny Gomes, Koji Uehara, and Mike Napoli. So...they did nearly the same thing they did in the 2010-2011 offseason by signing a bunch of players to lucrative contracts...except this year's crop is older and past their prime...and they expect to do better than they did a few years ago with these lesser players...and we're just going to pretend like the last 15 months didn't happen. Huh. Gonna be some rough years ahead in Beantown.
BEST CASE SCENARIO: The Sox finally pick themselves up off the ground and remind everyone why they've been one of baseball's best teams in the last 2 decades.
WORST CASE SCENARIO: History continues to repeat itself, and Ortiz spends the last 2 seasons of his potential Hall of Fame career watching Boston get worse and worse.
WHAT THEY NEED TO SUCCEED: A time machine. One that preferably goes backwards. One that would allow them to abduct the entire 2004 squad and bring them to present day. Or at least a few good bullpen arms. Uehara is a nice addition, and they traded for Joel Hanrahan, but the loss of Jonathan Papelbon appears to still be a problem. If they can get their relievers in shape, maybe another collapse can be prevented.

New York Yankees - However tough things may be getting in Boston, they can take solace in the fact that their greatest rivals aren't getting any better either. But my, how the times have changed. Just a year ago, nobody would have questioned the decisions of manager Joe Girardi, the durability of closer Mariano Rivera, or the work ethic of third baseman Alex Rodriguez. But 12 months later and a sweep in the ALCS by the Tigers, there are many things to question. Sure, the Yanks extended their impressive postseason streak, reaching the playoffs for the 17th season out of the last 18. But since their last World Series appearance and win against the Phillies in 2009, they've lost in the ALCS to the Rangers in 6 games in 2010, the ALDS to the Tigers in 5 games in 2011, and the ALCS to the Tigers in 4 merciless beatings this season. It's getting easier to knock the Bombers out of contention, and with Hal Steinbrenner doing the worst impersonation of his late father, it'll probably be child's play (or the Blue Jays) to dethrone them sooner than I'd like to think. They resigned Ichiro, Hiroki Kuroda, Andy Pettitte and Rivera. A-Rod's having surgery in a few weeks that will keep him out until June, so they also signed Kevin Youkilis. Derek Jeter's still rehabbing from the broken leg he sustained in the first game of the ALCS, but projects to start at shortstop on Opening Day, something he's done consistently for a decade and a half. In 2005, this team is going to kick some serious ass. They've got some serious questions to answer come November, in that Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson, AKA the two best bats they have at their disposal at this point in time, will both be free agents. And $189 million just won't fit those two superstars in. If these old farts can stay somewhat healthy, then maybe the Yanks will continue their tradition of pissing off every baseball fan on earth. But if this payroll thing continues...please, Cashman, find a Ouija board and see if George can help out from the other side.
BEST CASE SCENARIO: Rodriguez learns how to hit, Jeter takes ballet to become the most graceful 39 year old shortstop, and the Yanks finally return to the World Series (3 years is just too long).
WORST CASE SCENARIO: They find themselves out of contention in August for the first time since 1992, Cano and Granderson can't keep building on the last few years, and the Bombers, well, bomb.
WHAT THEY NEED TO SUCCEED: Do you think Boston will let them borrow that time machine?

Tampa Bay Rays - If the Rays played in any other division, they would handily win nearly all the time. Unfortunately, they're aligned in what is inarguably the toughest division in baseball. They still manage to hold their own every season, since their redesign in 2008 when they dropped the "Devil" from their name and made it to the Fall Classic (where they fell to the Phillies in 5 games), but unless the offense can match the intensity and the power of the rotation, the Rays will continue to flounder. And thanks to an 11th-hour move by the Royals, they might just get there yet. They acquired top prospects Wil Myers and Jake Odorizzi from Kansas City, shipping out James Shields and Wade Davis in the process. Myers, an outfielder, is universally hailed as the best hitting prospect in baseball, now that Mike Trout and Bryce Harper are in the big leagues to stay. In a year or two, when the 22 year old will be deemed ready, batting him behind a (hopefully) healthy Evan Longoria is going to be the scariest 3-4 punch in this division. And that's saying something. Their pitching has been an insane strength over the past 5 years, and giving up Shields and Davis still didn't make them any weaker. They've got the reigning AL Cy Young winner in David Price, with some dangerous young hurlers in Jeremy Hellickson, Matt Moore and Alex Cobb. Their bullpen is steady, especially after reclamation project Fernando Rodney recorded one of the best seasons a reliever has ever had. Again, the Rays have the misfortune of playing in the AL East, but they can still make a huge splash a la 2008.
BEST CASE SCENARIO: Ben Zobrist hits .350, Evan Longoria hits 45 home runs, Desmond Jennings steals 60 bases, David Price wins 25 games, Fernando Rodney saves 55 games.
WORST CASE SCENARIO: The offense sputters and dies to give the Rays their first losing season since dropping the "Devil" from their name.
WHAT THEY NEED TO SUCCEED: A contact hitter, if not a power hitter. Rays sluggers combined for a .240 batting average in 2012, 27th in baseball. They also need to keep Price in Tampa, regardless of what it takes. The Rays are notorious for signing their stars to affordable contracts before they get too close to free agency, but Price appears to have fallen through the cracks of this system. They have to catch him and scoop him back up before the market for Price develops into something exponential.

Toronto Blue Jays - Due to the death of the Montreal Expos way back when, the only MLB team outside of the United States has always had a lot to prove, and 2013 will be no different. However, with the recent blockbuster trade with the Marlins that brought a proven shortstop and two reliable starters over the northern border, another swap that gained them the reigning NL Cy Young winner, and the fallen All-Star MVP signing a bargain deal to be their fourth outfielder, not only could the Jays possibly make a run in a significantly weaker AL East division, it'd be shocking if they didn't at least make the ALCS. After finishing 4th in the division and seeing their star slugger (Jose Bautista) miss nearly the entire second half, the Jays made some bold moves by acquiring Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson and R.A. Dickey through two separate trades and signing Melky Cabrera as extra outfield insurance. They shored up their rotation by getting 3 pitchers who have all been, at one point, the number 1 guy on another team's staff. It appears that it will line up so Dickey, the oldest of the three, will be their Opening Day starter, with Johnson right behind him and Buehrle taking the number 3 spot, while Ricky Romero (the Jays' 2012 Opening Day starter) will become the new number 4, and Brandon Morrow will round out the rotation. And they say no one wants to play in Canada. If the Jays were ever going to replicate the success of the early 1990s, this appears to be the roster that will possibly, probably, maybe, finally put them back on top.
BEST CASE SCENARIO: Canada finally gets to celebrate a major win in a sport other than hockey, and Melky Cabrera shows that PEDs didn't play such a huge part in his big 2012 campaign.
WORST CASE SCENARIO: Colby Rasmus's dad becomes hitting coach, Bautista gets taken out by a confused mobster, and the Jays crash and burn with the same players that did so in Miami last season.
WHAT THEY NEED TO SUCCEED: Lower expectations, but that's damn sure not happening. Bautista needs to return to his 2010 and 2011 form (when he led baseball with 54 and 47 home runs, respectively), Edwin Encarnacion needs to keep launching balls into the cheap seats at Rogers Centre, Sergio Santos needs to learn better control, and Colby Rasmus needs to finally reach that potential we've been hearing about for years.

TBF's 2013 AL East Final Standings:

Toronto Blue Jays
New York Yankees
Baltimore Orioles
Tampa Bay Rays
Boston Red Sox