Rugged AL East figures to be best division in Baseball in 2022

BY J.A. SCHWARTZ

The American League East may well feature four of the top six teams in the league in 2022, with only the White Sox and perhaps Houston as being likely to win more games than the goliaths in the East. The Tampa Bay Rays are the defending AL East Champions, having won 100 games in 2021, the most in the league. The Yankees and Red Sox earned the AL Wild Cards, winning 92 games each, narrowly eclipsing the 91 wins posted by Toronto, who missed the playoffs by the thinnest of margins. All four of those franchises enter 2022 with legitimate playoff aspirations again, while the Orioles figure to continue their slow climb back towards respectability.

Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays traditionally run their team with very low payrolls, and that won’t change in 2022. The $70 million they spent on their roster was by far the lowest of any team that made the playoffs last year, and less than half of what Toronto invested in their team, and $130 million shy of the Yankees payroll. Despite their financial limitations, manager Kevin Cash guided his team to the best record in the American League, led by American League Rookie of the Year Randy Arozarena and wunderkind 20-year-old Wander Franco, who finished third in the balloting for the award. Those two contributed to a diverse offense that finished second in the AL in runs scored, and will return most of their primary position players this season. Their most significant free agent signing was a one-year $8 million deal to bring Corey Kluber into the fold, who figures to join a rotation headed by Shane McLanahan. His 10 wins led the Rays staff last year, and he’ll be tasked with stepping up to replace injured ace Tyler Glasnow, who projects to miss most of the season after having elbow surgery. Even without Glasnow for the second half of the season, Tampa Bay’s pitching staff led the AL in ERA at 3.67. The Rays will depend upon their deep and talented farm club to continue to matriculate major league ready players onto the field in an attempt to return to the postseason for the fourth consecutive season. They have proven perfectly capable of putting elite teams on the field despite meager financial means, and 2022 should see them in the thick of the race once again.

New York Yankees

The Yankees haven’t won a World Series since 2009, which is an eternity for their demanding fan base. Their shortcomings in that regard are not due to a lack of opportunity. New York has made the playoffs in six of the past seven seasons, but has not won an AL pennant since their 2009 title. The franchise has also been typically profligate with their resources, outspending the rest of the American League teams last year with its $206 million payroll, a figure that will rise to $236 million this season. They have a lineup filled with power, led by Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Joey Gallo, who combined to hit 112 home runs with 272 RBIs in 2021. All those bombs didn’t translate into runs at a rate that would lead to greater success, as the Yankees finished 10th of 15 teams in the league in runs scored. To change their lineup mix, the Yankees re-signed Anthony Rizzo to play first, traded to get a defensive shortstop from the Twins in Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and added Josh Donaldson to man the hot corner in the same transaction. They will hope that a new collection of bats will lead to more sustainable rallies and better run creation. Their pitching was good enough to be third in the AL in ERA, headed by ace Gerritt Cole, whose 16 wins led the team. A subpar season (by his standards) by closer Aroldis Chapman (3.36 ERA, 30 saves, 6.1 walks/9IP) was not catastrophic to the Yankee fates, as their set up crew kept them in games all season long. Their bullpen is among the top units in all of baseball, and they figure to be a pivotal advantage in what could be a very close AL East race.

Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox advanced to the ALCS last year and took the Astros to six games before falling short. Their offseason has consisted of bringing back former Sox players, hoping for a reprisal of their past performances with the club. Rich Hill, 42, was signed before the lockout, his seventh different professional contract with the team, and he’ll be counted upon to provide valuable innings as a starter. Boston also traded to re-acquire Jackie Bradley Jr., who spent just a single dismal season in Milwaukee, and Travis Shaw, who returns to back up at first and third. Their primary post-lockout move was to sign free agent Trevor Story to a six-year, $140 million deal. Story, who played short for Colorado during his career with the Rockies, has agreed to play second base in Boston in deference to Xander Bogaerts’ hold on the shortstop position. Story will be tasked with strengthening an already potent lineup, and providing above average defense at the keystone. The Red Sox will need to score runs to compensate for some significant questions in their rotation. A fractured rib will sideline ace lefty Chris Sale for at least a month, leaving the Opening Day assignment to Nate Eovaldi. He’ll likely be followed by unproven (though promising) righties Nick Pivetta and Tanner Houck and the ageless Hill. The closer position was filled by rookie Garrett Whitlock down the stretch and in the playoffs in 2021, but Boston has faith that Matt Barnes, who struggled mightily in the second half, will rebound to fill that role again this season. Whitlock won eight games and saved two more, fashioning a 1.96 ERA after being selected in the Rule 5 draft from the rival Yankees. The Red Sox have won four World Series championships this century, more than any other franchise, and GM Chaim Bloom and manager Alex Cora know that nothing less than a fifth will satisfy their rabid and loyal fan base in 2022.

Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays missed the playoffs by a single game in 2021, and it would appear by their offseason activity that they don’t intend to have that problem again in 2022. Executive VP of Baseball Operations and GM Ross Atkins moved decisively to upgrade his roster this winter, signing free agent pitchers Kevin Gausman and Yusei Kikuchi to contracts that totaled $146 million to join returning starters Jose Berrios, Alek Manoah and Hyun Jin Ryu. Those moves should help offset the loss of 2021 Cy Young Award Winner Robbie Ray to Seattle. After watching second baseman Marcus Semien sign in Texas, the Jays traded to acquire Matt Chapman, who has won three of the past four Gold Glove Awards at third. Chapman was acquired from the A’s for a package of four prospects, none of who were among Baseball America’s top 100 list, and didn’t include any of Toronto’s best three minor leaguers. Toronto quickly signed Chapman to a two-year, $25 million extension, locking him into the powerful Jays lineup that already features sluggers AL MVP runner up Vlad Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Teoscar Hernandez and George Springer. That quartet helped Toronto bash an AL best 262 HRs in 2021. If their bullpen, led by closer Jordan Romano (23 saves in 2021) can secure late leads, manager Charlie Montoyo and the young Jays stars may return to the postseason in 2022.

Baltimore Orioles

The once proud Orioles franchise has fallen on hard times. They’ve finished either fourth or fifth in the AL East for the past five seasons, and figure to fare no better in 2022. In the fifth year of a massive rebuilding effort, Baltimore fans can at least look forward to the arrival of top prospects Adley Rutschman and Grayson Rodriguez this season. Rustchman and Rodriguez are arguably the top hitting and pitching prospects, respectively, in all of baseball, and manager Brandon Hyde will be trusted with the maturation process of both as they graduate to the major leagues later this summer. It’s unlikely that Hyde will have competitive concerns, since the team he will be charged with managing is not expected to threaten the .500 mark, much less contend for a playoff spot. The organization was pleasantly surprised by the 2021 breakout of Cedric Mullins, who hit .291/.360/.518 with 30 HRs and 30 stolen bases. The offense also benefited from the development of prospects Austin Hays and Ryan Mountcastle, right-handed sluggers who combined to hit 55 HRs last season and will be counted on to buoy an O’s offense that will struggle to keep up with their AL east brethren. The Orioles will patch together a rotation behind ace lefty John Means, who will benefit from a plan the organization undertook to move back the left field fence for the 2022 season, making hitter friendly Camden Yards more “balanced.” The rest of the rotation will try to provide innings while the young prospects finish their seasoning in the upper minors. Lefty D.L. Hall is highly regarded, and Baltimore hopes that Means, Rodriguez and Hall form the nucleus of the next winning Baltimore team.