Now time to look at the American League. There are some very exciting storylines heading into the season in the AL. How many playoff teams emerge from the East? Will droughts come to an end? Will the two best players in the world play in October? There is a lot to look forward to, and here I will break down each AL division, and give my final predictions on how I think it will all shake out.
West
Will this be the year? Will this be the year the Seattle Mariners finally make the playoffs for the first time since 2001 and end the longest active postseason drought in North American sports? This might be their best chance in recent memory to do so. The won 90 games last season, finished 5 games behind the Astros in the division, and battled to the final day of the season for a wildcard spot, but ultimately fell 2 games short. During the offseason, the Mariners signed Cy Young award winner Robbie Ray to a 5-year deal and traded for All-Star outfielder Jesse Winker from the Reds. They are going to be a very competitive team and could give the Astros a serious run for their money for the division title.
This brings me to the current division, and American League champs, the Astros. The Astros have had a strong grasp on the division title as they have won it quite easily in four of the last five seasons. However, this may be the most vulnerable the team has been in recent years. They lost George Springer to the Blue Jays last offseason, and lost Carlos Correa to the Twins this offseason. They are getting Justin Verlander back, but he’s 39 years old, and coming off Tommy John surgery, it’s uncertain on what he will give them this season. Even without Correa, their offence will still be very good, and they have some nice young arms in the rotation. Don’t get me wrong, they are going to be a very good team, but there are cracks in the armour, and a team like the Mariners could take advantage.
Another team looking to take advantage is the Angels. The goal for every team is to make the playoffs and win a championship, but the pressure to win may be on the Angels more than others for no other reason than to get Mike Trout in the playoffs. Trout, the best player in the sport, has only been to the playoffs once in his eleven-year career, and they got swept in three games. It’s a travesty that they have not been able to put together a consistent winning team during his career so far, and they can’t afford to waste his prime for much longer. One of the areas of concern this year will be health. Trout and All-Star third baseman Anthony Rendon played a combined 94 games last season. Trout suffered a torn right calf muscle in early May and missed the rest of the season, and Rendon suffered from a variety of injuries last season. A large part of the team’s success rest largely on the health of these two superstars. Aside from health, their biggest issue over the years, has been their pitching; they never have good starting pitching. They are going to need another exceptional season from Ohtani, as well as a bounce-back season from Noah Syndergaard who they signed in free-agency but is coming off Tommy John surgery.
The Ranger who, despite spending half a billion dollars on their middle infield, will more than likely not be that competitive this year. It’s great to see them spend money and try to get better, but they still have some ways to go both on the pitching, and offensive side before being a serious competitor.
The Athletics are in a full blown rebuild. They have traded away most of their star players and will likely trade more of them during the season. This is just part of the A’s life cycle, and before we know it, they will somehow become a 90-win team again. For now, they’ll finish last in the division.
Central
Similar to how the NL Central is the Brewers’ division to lose, the AL Central is the White Sox’s division to lose. They are by far the best team in the division and will more than likely run away with it. Keep in mind, it is probably the weakest division in baseball, but that isn’t to take away from the White Sox. The have a very good lineup and a solid pitching staff both in the rotation, and in the bullpen. They are dealing with some injuries to key arms, but I think they will find ways to cover them and get out on top.
Two teams that will be interesting to watch are the Tigers and the Twins. The Tigers are in the middle of a rebuild, and while they likely won’t contest the White Sox for the division, they should be a competitive team. They had a very good second half last season and they made some big acquisitions in the offseason, most notably signing shortstop Javier Báez to a 6-year, $140 million contract. They have some really good young players, and an excellent manager in AJ Hinch leading the charge. While they are well on their way to becoming a contender, I’m not sure it will be enough to challenge the Sox this year.
The Twins were a massive disappointment last year. A team that was expected to be in the playoff picture, finished last in the division. They had an interesting offseason as they traded for Isiah Kiner-Falefa from the Rangers, then traded him and Josh Donaldson to the Yankees, and then signed the top free agent, Carlos Correa. I applaud the Twins for trying to improve and not tear the team down because of one bad season. However, while their lineup looks really good with Correa in the middle of it, their pitching leaves a lot to be desired.
The Royals and Guardians will not very competitive this season. The Royals are still rebuilding, and the only exciting thing for them will be the debut of top prospect of Bobby Witt Jr. Fresh off a name change, the Guardians will say they are trying to be competitive, however they haven’t done a whole lot to back that up. They did sign José Ramírez to an extension, but they still have a lot of other holes to fill if they really intend to compete.
East
The AL East is often looked at as the toughest division in baseball, and now, that hasn’t been truer. Not only was it the only division with four teams finishing with records above .500, those four teams each finished with at least 91 wins. It was battle down to the final day of the season for playoff spots, and this year should be no different. I’ll quickly start with the one sub .500 team – the Orioles. They had another forgetful season, losing 110 games, and while they may not lose that many again, they likely won’t win much more either.
Moving to the reigning division champs, the Rays won a franchise record 100 games last season. It’s so difficult to predict on how the Rays will do, because they operate completely different than any other team. The don’t spend a lot of money, but they are extremely resourceful and find ways to be successful. With one of the top, young players in the game in Wander Franco, and electric pitching, it’s hard to imagine them not being one the top teams in the league.
The Red Sox, similar to the Giants, were not expected to have a big 2021 season, but they proved people wrong and made the playoffs. While they didn’t win 107 games, they did secure a wildcard spot, and made it to the ALCS. With the addition of Trevor Story, they made what was already a pretty strong lineup, even stronger. Their pitching, both in the rotation and in the bullpen are key question marks. Chris Sale is currently out due to injury, and while they could look to move Tanner Houck and/or Garrett Whitlock to the rotation, they were both key pieces to their bullpen, and could leave holes there as a result.
If you ask Yankees fans, they may say that they had an underwhelming offseason. Hopeful that they would land at least one of Correa, Story, Freeman, or Olson, they ended up with none. That doesn’t mean they didn’t improve their team though. The brought in Josh Donaldson and Anthony Rizzo which are very good pillars in the infield. Rizzo was good for the Yankees when they traded for him at the deadline last season, and when healthy, Donaldson still puts up high quality numbers. Pitching and health remain the Yankees biggest concerns. They have their ace Gerrit Cole, but after him, there is some uncertainty in the rotation. Their lineup can slug with the best of them, but it has been a challenge to keep them all on the field at the same time. Their roster may look flawed at times, but they are the Yankees, and they will do whatever it takes to not just make the playoffs, but get back the World Series.
Last but certainly not least, you have the Blue Jays. They won 91 games last year, but finished just one game short of a playoff spot. Despite losing Cy Young award winner Robbie Ray, and MVP finalist Marcus Semien in free agency, they added Kevin Gausman and Matt Chapman. Gausman has seemingly revitalized his career over the last couple of seasons with the Giants, and hopefully he can continue his success in the juggernaut that is the AL East. While Chapman likely won’t put up the same offensive numbers as Semien, he is not just the best defensive third baseman in the league, but arguably the best defender in the game. The Jays have struggled to find a reliable third baseman the last couple of years, but Chapman fills that void perfectly. They also added Yusei Kikuchi to slot into the back end of the rotation, and Yimi Garcia to bolster the bullpen. They are currently looked at as of one of the favourites to not just win their division, but also the pennant. The team is hungry for success, but it will remain to be seen if they can feast on the East.
My Predictions
The American League could be more fascinating than some may be expecting. There are a lot of young and exciting teams across the league, and they are all chomping at the bit to make the playoffs. Anything can happen in baseball, and when the dust settles at the end of 162, it will be interesting to see who emerges victorious. I think the Blue Jays have the makings to be a very good team, live up to the hype, and win the AL East for the first time since their magical 2015 run. Just like last season, I expect the White Sox to run away with the Central. They may be challenged a little by the Tigers, but at the end of the day, they should win the division quite easily. I’m going to have to see another team take the division from the Astros before I bet against them. They have a winning culture, a great manager, and still an excellent lineup. Unfortunately for the Angels and Mariners, I don’t think they will make the playoffs. I think both will be very good teams, and the Mariners may win 90 games again, but I don’t think that will be enough as I have the three wildcard teams coming out of the East. Similar to last season, I expect the East to finish with four teams with over 90 wins, and the Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays will secure the first, second, and third wildcard spots. I think the Rays will have the biggest drop off as they go from first to fourth, but they will still be a great team and make the playoffs. The Yankees and Red Sox will have similar seasons to last year. Both will be very good teams and either could win the division, but I think the biggest difference, will be that the Jays will be that much better.