AL East is Most Interesting Division in Baseball

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Much has changed, but one thing remains true. The AL East is the most interesting division in baseball once again. Who will come out on top in 2024?

Prepare for the intense sports debate that only sibling rivalry can conjure. Seesaw Sports, where Dan Salem and Todd Salem throw down on the NFL, MLB, NBA and more. Only on BuzzChomp. Two brothers from New York yell, scream and debate sports.

 

Welcome to MLB Opening Day. Though the season officially started last week with the Seoul Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, this is the week where things get going in full force. It was nice to get a taste last week, but that was just a drill. This is now the real thing.

As with many recent seasons, the aforementioned Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves are expected to be the two best teams in baseball. The best AL club will likely be either Houston or the winner of the AL East, and that’s about all we can surmise. We’re not even being coy by slow-rolling the AL East’s top club. No one really knows at this point.

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Flyover country hates to hear it, but the East is once again the center of the baseball universe. All five AL East clubs are projected to finish with between 80 and 88 victories. It provides the uncertainty of the NL Central combined with the ceiling and talent of the NL West. It is, without a doubt, the most interesting division in the league once again.

 

AL East Captivates Us On MLB Opening Day

 

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I assume Boston is going to finish last, but I could really be talked into any order of finish for any of the five clubs. Boston feels the weakest thanks to injuries and a lack of elite pitching. The Red Sox are also balancing a divide between a rebuild and staying competitive.

A lack of elite pitching is what we all expected to hold Baltimore back last year, and it didn’t happen. After trading for Corbin Burnes, the Orioles have their ace but not much depth. The team will rely on Burnes, paired with an elite but young everyday lineup.

I’m actually surprised that Baltimore is still projected to finish behind the New York Yankees. After Gerrit Cole was to be sidelined for a couple months, I assumed the Yankees would drop quite a bit. The rotation, already a shortcoming for them too, lost its only reliable piece. The New York bullpen is not as sound as we’ve come to expect either. Even the lineup leaves something to be desired. Sure, it is hard to hold down a lineup that has Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, regardless of everything else, but that everything else is pretty, darn weak at this point.

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The next-man-up mentality has not been NY’s forte, and there is a lot of hole-filling that seems to be in their future. On the other hand, Tampa Bay is a club that thrives on replacing and moving on. Looking at the roster, this seems like a fourth-place club, but I think that every year. At this point, I’m scared to pick against them.

That leaves Toronto. If you want to think of the Blue Jays as the afterthought of the division, it would be hard to argue. However, am I crazy for thinking this is the best team in the AL East? The pitching staff has depth that Baltimore does not, as well as the ace in Kevin Gausman that NY is now lacking. The bullpen is where Toronto has taken its early injuries, but that is something that can be survived. 

As for the hitters, the lineup is top-heavy, but less so than the Yankees’. I suppose a lot comes down to the ceiling of Bo Bichette and Vlad Guerrero. These are the two superstar talents that need to carry the club. They have not consistently played at that level over the course of their careers. Is that enough to drop them? I know projections are an amalgamation of potential outcomes, and only a handful of games separated the entire division as it is, but Toronto is under the radar as the actual team to beat.

 

 

Dan Salem: Deja Vu Means AL East Unchanged

We have this same conversation every year as MLB Opening Day approaches and I’m beginning to have serious deja vu. It’s been several years running (slight understatement) that the Dodgers and Astros have been atop baseball. It’s been only slightly fewer years where the Braves and AL East are serious members of the conversation. This season’s chatter is identical to last season’s chatter. Some of the details have shifted, but we once again are viewing the AL East with wonder.

Just who are these teams? How good are they? On paper we have five solid winning rosters, just like last season. Unlike last year, none of the five AL East teams feel close to Houston or Los Angeles or Atlanta. If everything feels eerily similar to 2023, why are we counting out the Orioles? I won’t do it.

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Baltimore is the team to beat in the AL East, because nothing about their 2023 performance felt fluky. Quite the opposite. The Orioles proved they are deep enough to be really good. We both thought the Yankees would be too, but now I’m not so sure. Realistically, they are third or fourth in the AL East because their depth has not once been good enough over the last five years. Toronto is in a similar boat, consistently proving they just aren’t quite there yet.

This leaves Tampa Bay, who I’m slotting into second place for now. The Rays played above their heads last year, but don’t they always? It’s probably the Orioles ahead of them, but it could easily be the Yankees or Blue Jays. My betting money is on a Baltimore, Tampa Bay, New York, Toronto, Boston finish. As you noted, I could see it flipped from top to bottom. I won’t be betting for this reason.

 

Meet our Writers:

Dan Salem is Lead Editor and Co-owner of BuzzChomp. He’s an award winning Actor, Director and Producer. Visit M Square Productions for his film work, or get lost in his old-school comedy on Pillow Talk TV. You can follow him on X, TikTok and Instagram. His latest film ‘Alone’ is now on Amazon.

Todd Salem is a Staff Writer and Contributing Editor at BuzzChomp. He’s also a champion of fantasy football and fantasy baseball, dominating leagues for over two decades. Comment below on his unfiltered opinions.

AL East Photo Credits: camdenchat.com and tampabay.com via Getty Images

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