LAD v CHC Spring Breakout rained out ;( - Nate

Nate's AL East Predictions

1 Baltimore Orioles

2 New York Yankees

3 Boston Red Sox

4 Tampa Bay Rays

5 Toronto Blue Jays

Reasoning: This has been the hardest division for me so far. I think any of these teams could finish in any of these spots, honestly. The Orioles have an utterly unimpressive pitching staff, but the bats are maturing with reinforcements knocking on the door. I think they’re still a year or two and 3 starting pitchers away from their World Series aspirations. New York is in shambles with Gil and Cole going down. The rotation is no longer a strength, and the lineup could’ve used a free agent move or two. Boston and Tampa Bay might have the two brightest futures in the league. Boston winning this division is 100% realistic with the moves they’ve made this offseason. They both blend current Major League talent with really fun prospects. Boston is in win-now mode with three top rookies ready to debut, oh the riches! Tampa Bay has my favorite prospect depth in the league, with multiple young guys ready to rise the rankings in 2025. Toronto is in one of my least favorite spots in all of the MLB. I have their farm system ranked 30th out of 30 teams, while the lineup lacks any depth. Trading Vlad and Bichette and refreshing the farm should be on the table this year.

Rhys' AL East Predictions

1 Boston Red Sox

2 Tampa Bay Rays

3 Baltimore Orioles

4 New York Yankees

5 Toronto Blue Jays 

Reasoning: The Boston Red Sox have the best collection of hitters and pitchers in this division. They have ready-made reinforcements in Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell, and Marcelo Mayer, and there is some interesting depth throughout the organization. Tampa is the surprise team; for the first time in a while, all the Rays starters are healthy, and  I like how they mix and match hitters. The pitching staff is gonna be good as they Voltron together pieces to produce one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, and the bullpen is nasty. I am severely worried about the O's pitching. The Yankees are out here without their ace, and I am just not sure about a rotation fronted by Fried and Rodon, especially given some significant injury red flags with both of them. Judge is awesome, but the rest of that lineup leaves much to be desired. The Blue Jays finally crashed out, and unfortunately, I think they sold off Vlad and Bo at the deadline, which they should have done last deadline if we are honest with ourselves. 

Jackson Jobe, RHP DET (Grapefruit League) 3.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, BB,3 K, 2 HR allowed

This is not what you want to see, but these sorts of outings happen for everyone. The stuff was still sharp at points, so that is going for him. I am excited to see what tweaks he and Chris Fetter make this season because I think Jobe’s issues are sequencing issues, and Fetter will get the best out of him.