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Old 01-06-2020, 02:09 PM   #4
Ruwisc
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Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Southwestern Illinois
Posts: 610
2023 AL East Preview

Let's start looking at the 2023 season - this is also going to be a helpful tool for me (and you) to become more familiar with all 60 teams in this league! Let's start things off with the division that's home to the reigning champs, and that's the AL East! This'll go in order of projected finish, from top to bottom.


OTTAWA LYNX
Projected: 100-60
Last Season: 77-83, T-3rd, 27 GB
Payroll: $121MM (34th)
Major Additions: RPs Andrew Miller, Corey Knebel, Jandel Gustave, Kenley Jansen, Michael Feliz, Wade Davis; SP Brandon Finnegan
Major Losses: C Andrew Noviello
Top Players: C Shea Langeliers, LF Derek Fisher, RF Dominic Fletcher

Starting off with a bang! I don't think there's a team in this league that made more drastic changes than Ottawa did, completely restructuring their entire bullpen after a disappointing 2022. This was a below average pitching staff across the board last season, but now they have the league's #1-ranked bullpen, probably by a long shot, and a serviceable rotation that is good enough to take them places. 25-year-old catcher Langeliers had a breakout year in 2022 and looks like he is ready to anchor this lineup, flanked by corner outfielders Fisher and Fletcher, along with SS Logan Davidson. The Lynx shored up their only weak spot in spring training by acquiring former RoY winner Yukio Uehara from Seattle to DH. This lineup has no holes in it aside from first baseman Owen White, but he is also a two-way player pitching out of the rotation.


NEW YORK YANKEES
Projected: 90-70
Last Season: 102-58, 2nd, 2 GB (#3 seed in AL)
Won World Series: beat White Sox 3-1, Orioles 4-0, Solons 4-0, Beacons 4-2
Payroll: $137MM (24th)
Major Additions: RP Toshi tada Watanabe, Blake Treinen, Grant Dayton
Major Losses: LF Andrew Benintendi, 2B Joe Panik, 2B Javier Baez, 1B Adam Lind
Top Players: 3B Rafael Devers, SP Noah Syndergaard, CF Ivan Morales

It's hard to make up for the loss of an MVP contender, but that's what the Yanks will try to be doing sans Benintendi as they aim to defend their 2022 World Series championship. Although the actual MVP winner is still around (Devers) as well as the 5-time reigning Cy Young winner, the team has a "stars and scrubs" kind of feel to it. Along with Devers, Morales and 2B Gabe Holt are household names, but the team has serious holes at 1B and the corner outfield spots that they didn't do anything to address. The rotation will be a real strength even behind Thor - Jake Faria and Dailyn Martinez have become stars on the mound as well. The Yankees are one of just two teams to have made the playoffs in all five seasons (the White Sox are the other).


NEWARK CHERRIES
Projected: 87-73
Last Season: 104-56, 1st (#2 seed in AL)
Beat Royals 3-0, lost to Solons 4-3
Payroll: $120MM (35th)
Major Additions: none
Major Losses: RP Corey Knebel, 1B Eric Hosmer, C Derek Norris
Top Players: RF Jarred Kelenic, 3B Jonathan India, SS Allen Cordoba

This projection seems slightly harsh for Newark, but it's true that they lost quite a bit and didn't do anything to address it, at least externally. This is a team that could have used all the bullpen upgrades made by Ottawa, and it's underscored by the fact that Ottawa signed away Newark's setup man in Knebel. The Cherries still have Zack Britton at the back of the bullpen, two young superstars in the lineup (Kelenic/India) and a pretty good rotation, so they oughta be alright going forward.


SYRACUSE BLIZZARD
Projected: 78-82
Last Season: 71-89, 5th, 33 GB
Payroll: $81MM (51st)
Major Additions: SP Ross Stripling, RP Danny Barnes and Marc Rzepczynski, SS Tim Beckham
Major Losses: SS Addison Russell, SP Adam Morgan, 2B Enrique Hernandez
Top Players: C Patrick Bailey, RF Max Kepler, LF Jeremy Perry

The Blizzard have never finished above .500 in this tough division, and I don't think I see that trend being broken this season even though they made some improvements. The best part of this team is probably the bullpen, anchored by a really promising young closer in Paul Goodwin. The 30-year-old Kepler might be weighing this team down a bit, despite being a good player, as he's making more than a quarter of the team's entire payroll. I have to think Syracuse will be in a better spot in two seasons when he's off the books.


TORONTO BLUE JAYS
Projected: 72-88
Last Season: 77-83, T-3rd, 27 GB
Payroll: $128MM (31st)
Major Additions: CF Jackie Bradley Jr.
Major Losses: CF Andrew Toles, C Wilson Ramos, RP Grant Dayton
Top Players: SS Josiah Miller, LF Scott Schebler, 1B Carlos Santana

An average team in almost every respect, the Jays don't really have any holes in the lineup and have a few pretty good players, but no outright stars (Miller, Santana, and Schebler all rank in the top third of the league at their position, but not the top 10). The rotation looks pretty bad, but the bullpen will be good to make up for it, despite losing their closer (Dayton) to the rival Yankees. This is a far cry from the team that won the 2019 World Series, but by no means an embarrassment.


BOSTON RED SOX
Projected: 66-94
Last Season: 66-94, 6th, 38 GB
Payroll: $133MM (26th)
Major Additions: RP Taylor Rogers
Major Losses: SP Michael Pineda
Top Players: 3B Kris Bryant, C Jose Hernandez, SP Justin Verlander

What a mess this team is! Aside from Bryant, Hernandez and 1B Colin Allen, this team's lineup probably doesn't even belong in an MLB of this size. (Bryant and Hernandez did combine for almost 12 WAR last season, but it wasn't nearly enough to save this ship.) At least the bullpen might be OK. Within the next two years, the $94.5 million this team is paying to four players (Bryant, Hernandez, Verlander, SP Vince Velasquez) will be off the books, and the rebuild will be fully on.

Last edited by Ruwisc; 01-06-2020 at 02:11 PM.
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