American League East Season 2024 Preview and Predictions
The 2024 season is quickly approaching and baseball fans are getting anxious about the prospects of their favorite teams. While pitchers and catchers will begin reporting as early as February 13, spring training games will begin on February 22. The American League East may be the best division in the Major Leagues, and they also have the biggest rivalry with the Yankees and Red Sox.
Last season, the American League East came down to the wire, with the Baltimore Orioles winning the division by 2 games over the Tampa Bay Rays. This season, the O’s are expected to be the class of the division again with their talented youth movement. The Red Sox and Yankees look to bounce back after injury-plagued seasons that left them out of the playoffs once again, while Toronto and Tampa Bay attempt to get back to the postseason again.
Baltimore Orioles (Predicted Finish: 97-65; Odds to Win Division:+230-DK, +200-FD)
2023 American League East Finish: 1st place; 101-61
2023 was an interesting season for the Baltimore Orioles. The team finished with their most wins in a season in the 21st century, won multiple individual awards, and won the division for the first time since 2014.
The Postseason was an entirely different story as the Orioles were swept by the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers.
Now, the O’s look to defend their American League East divisional title in 2024. Led by All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman, center fielder Cedric Mullins, and shortstop Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore has a legitimate chance at reaching the World Series.
They have a tremendous young core throughout their organization and expect more top-end talent to matriculate through the minors. SS Jackson Holliday (+250 on DraftKings and +400 on Fandual to win Rookie of the Year Award) is the top prospect in the sport and is likely to debut this season. Starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez is a potential ace on the mound and is an All-Star sleeper.
The acquisition of former Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes (+1000 on DraftKings and +1100 on Fandual to win AL Cy Young) cements Baltimore as an early World Series favorite. Paired with Kyle Bradish, the two form one of the best duos in all of baseball.
Closing Pitcher Felix Bautista was named the American League Reliever of the Year for 2023, but will miss the 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. In his place, the Orioles will look to Craig Kimbrel, Yennier Cano, and possibly DL Hall to lock down the backend of their bullpen.
New York Yankees (Predicted Finish: 92-70; Odds to Win Division: +150-DK, +135-FD)
2023 American League East Finish: 4th place; 82-80
With a record of 82-80, the fourth-place Yankees barely avoided their first losing season since 1992. However, a 31st consecutive winning season meant little considering their goal was to put an end to the franchise’s World Series drought…now closing in on 15 years.
Injuries absolutely negatively impacted New York’s season. Right fielder Aaron Judge missed 56 games but still managed to hit 37 home runs. Giancarlo Stanton only played 101 games and he was a liability at the plate, only hitting .191.
There is a new sense of confidence around the organization heading into 2024. While they struck out on wooing Shohei Ohtani away from the LA area, they did swing deals for Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo. Soto, one of the best in the game, will be a force with the short right-field porch at Yankee Stadium.
Gerrit Cole is arguably the best pitcher in baseball and the signing of Marcus Stroman brings a solid option in the middle of the rotation. Along with their health, New York’s season will hinge on how Nestor Cortes and Carlos Rodon bounce back.
Toronto Blue Jays (Predicted Finish: 86-76; Odds to Win Division: +380-DK, +480-FD)
2023 American League East Finish: 3rd place; 89-73
The Blue Jays went into 2023 as a favorite to win the American League East along with the New York Yankees. Nobody saw the Baltimore Orioles coming. Toronto went on to finish 3rd in the division with a wild-card spot in the playoffs. They were swept in two games by the Minnesota Twins.
The pitching staff was terrific, finishing fourth in Major League Baseball with a 3.78 team ERA and second in strikeouts with 1,528. Kevin Gausman finished third in the American League Cy Young voting and fellow starter Chris Bassitt finished tenth.
Undoubtedly, the main issue with the Blue Jays was their overall lack of power, finishing with 188 home runs. Middle-of-the-pack power numbers are not going to advance Toronto very far in the playoffs. Vladimir Guerrero Jr and Bo Bichette will need to combine for more than 46 home runs in 2024 for Toronto to have a shot at the division.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa makes his way over from the Yankees as a Gold Glove-caliber third baseman and Kevin Kiermaier is one of the best defensive center fielders around. Will the lineup be able to hit enough to help score runs in a pretty loaded division?
Tampa Bay Rays (Predicted Finish: 83-79; Odds to Win Division: +650-DK, +650-FD)
2023 American League East Finish: 2nd place; 99-63
With one of the lowest payrolls year after year, the Tampa Bay Rays continue to win. All the while, their front office has become the gold standard. After another successful regular season that saw them start with 13 consecutive wins, the Rays lost both games in the Wild Card series to the Texas Rangers.
First Baseman Yandy Diaz won the AL batting title with a .330 average and Randy Arozarena helped carry the offense. Plus, Zach Eflin was one of the best pitchers in the American League, posting a 16-8 record with a 3.50 ERA in his first season in Tampa.
Those were the highlights, however, they weren’t without some low spots.
In 2023, Short Stop Wander Franco became a pariah after allegations of an improper relationship with a minor surfaced. Another issue was star pitcher Shane McClanahan underwent Tommy John surgery, which ended his 2023 season and will likely keep him out for all of 2024.
Altogether, the Rays will look quite a bit different in 2024. No Wander Franco. No Shane McClanahan. Also, Tyler Glasnow was dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers for SP Ryan Pepiot, who will fill a spot in the middle of the rotation. Can the Rays find more magic and get back to the postseason?
Boston Red Sox (Predicted Finish: 76-86; Odds to Win Division: +1300-DK, +1400-FD)
2023 American League East Finish: 5th place; 78-84
Boston was an odd mixture of good and bad, which led to their 80-82 record. The offense was good, ranking in the top third of the American League in both runs and hits. Rafael Devers, Masataka Yoshida, Tristan Casas, and Jarran Duran were all bright spots and cause for hope.
However, their defense was atrocious. Boston tied with the Oakland A’s with a league-worst 102 errors and a .982 fielding percentage. They also finished in the bottom third with a 4.52 team ERA and a 1.34 WHIP.
Gone is rotational mainstay Chris Sale and top-of-the-lineup stabilizer Alex Verdugo, however, they brought in a bit more youth with Vaughn Grissom and Tyler O’Neill. Additionally, they will have to hope Trevor Story has a bounce-back season. If Brayan Bello can take another step forward in the rotation, the Sox could be headed in the right direction.
About the Author
Not only a writer, editor, and contributor of Total Apex Sports, Tom Harvey is also the co-founder of dynastyprosfootball.com
Tom has been writing about professional wrestling, college football, NFL, and fantasy football for over a decade and is an avid sports fan. A graduate of the University of Tennessee with a History degree, he loves all things Vols. He is also a massive Atlanta Braves and Dallas Cowboys fan. An “Army Brat,” Tom has lived all over the country and abroad, so he has an appreciation of most sports and fan bases.
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