onThe MLB season is right around the corner and while there are still some significant free agents still on the board, we have a great sense of what these teams are going to look like. The AL East was one of the best divisions in baseball last season with three teams making the playoffs (Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays).
However, there were some significant moves throughout the offseason so far that made a few of the teams in the AL East into pretty significant World Series contenders. Let’s take a look at the odds for the AL East Division winner provided by DraftKings Sportsbook.
New York Yankees: +140
The New York Yankees are the favorites to win the AL East in 2024 as they made some significant changes from last year’s 82-80 fourth-place finish. The Yankees were active in the trade market as they traded for outfielders Trent Grisham, Alex Verdugo and Juan Soto. In addition, they also signed starting pitcher Marcus Stroman to try and bolster their rotation.
The Yankees still have some question marks but they are going into the season with a large improvement to their lineup and still have some solid pitching. Expect this team to step up and at +140, it seems like a good bet as they can win 95+ games in 2023 if everything clicks for the team.
Baltimore Orioles: +285
The Baltimore Orioles are the next team up and there seems to be a bit of concern about how this team will do. They won the AL East last season with an incredible youth movement led by catcher Adley Rutschman and have shown what this team could do. This young core has some playoff experience and can use that to progress throughout the regular season, similar to what they did in 2023.
Baltimore has signed one MLB free agent this offseason and that was closer Craig Kimbrel. He is trying to replace Felix Bautista as the closer underwent Tommy John Surgery. They lost starting pitchers Kyle Gibson and John Flaherty but got a full year of John Means back on the mound. The O’s are extremely talented but still need to add another starting pitcher to be more confident in how they’ll do.
Toronto Blue Jays: +360
This Toronto Blue Jays squad has a lot of talent but still has not had the postseason success you’d expect. They did a good job so far in free agency as they have re-signed center fielder Kevin Kiermaier while adding utility man Isiah Kiner-Falefa and designated hitter Justin Turner. Losing Matt Chapman, Brandon Belt and Whit Merrifield is big but they are all still available.
The pitching side of things is strong as they have a deep rotation, especially if Alek Manoah can return to form and be a strong pitcher. The bullpen has lost Hyun-Jin Ryu and Jordan Hicks but they still have Chad Green coming off Tommy John Surgery this season and could be a sneaky pick to win the AL East.
Tampa Bay Rays: +650
The Tampa Bay Rays are typically a sneaky team to be competitive but they have huge issues entering Spring Training. The Wander Franco issues have been surrounding the team and it seems like he may not return anytime soon. Add in the fact that they traded away Tyler Glasnow while having Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen and Jeffrey Springs all on the injured list with significant injuries.
While they can be pesty, the Rays are not going to be a good bet for the AL East crown. Tampa has way too many holes right now to be considered in the divisional race. Their inexperience makes it difficult to picture the team with 90+ wins at the end of the season.
Boston Red Sox: +1100
If you want to place a flyer on either the Rays or the Boston Red Sox for the division, Boston is the better bet. They were the only team to finish 2023 with an under .500 record (78-84) but have been active in the offseason to try to address some issues on the roster.
The Red Sox traded for both Tyler O’Neill and Vaughn Grissom to try and bolster their lineup. They also added some help on the pitching side of things with the Alex Verdugo trade with the New York Yankees. Bost also replaced Chris Sale in the rotation with Lucas Giolito and it will be interesting. They have the talent but still have some ways to go before being considered a threat for the division.
