Off-Season To-Do List: American League East

By: Chris Larson

In the past two articles, we have focused on both the American League West and American League Central. Both articles, showcased three needs for every team in each respective division to focus on this season and now the spotlight moves to the final division in the American League - the American League East.

The American League East was a division that was top heavy again last season with the New York Yankees taking home the division championship crown with a 103-59 record followed by the Tampa Bay Rays, who ended up securing the second American League Wild Card spot, with a 96-66 record. Furthermore, despite many people picking the Boston Red Sox to compete for the division crown much less a Wild Card spot, that was definitely not the case as Boston finished third in the division - nineteen games back of first place. Coming in fourth, thirty-six games back of first place was the Toronto Blue Jays followed up by the Baltimore Orioles who concluded the 2019 regular season with 108 losses.

With that being said, here are three things for every American League East team to focus on this offseason.

1. New York Yankees (103-59 Record in 2019) 

• Starting Pitching 
• Centerfield Depth Option 
• Catcher 

Heading into this offseason, it's important to remember that the New York Yankees are coming off a season in which they captured 103 wins. That alone is impressive as is some of the talent on the Yankees 25-man roster. According to Cot's Baseball Contracts, the Yankees will have the third highest payroll in baseball at ($196.6) million dollars and that is coming off a season last year in which New York had a payroll amount of ($203.8) million dollars - the second highest in all of baseball. So far this offseason, the Yankees front office and ownership has shown a reluctance to go over the luxury tax threshold of ($208) million dollars so it will be very fascinating to see what they end up deciding to do this offseason to address the needs listed above. While not every need listed above will likely be addressed or even considered that big of a deal, the Yankees want to field the best team possible if they want a shot at making it back to the Fall Classic in 2020 and have a legitimate shot at winning a World Series ring. All of that starts with one thing and it's the first thing the Yankees need to address this offseason: starting pitching. 

Now, New York isn't going to be alone in their pursuit of trying to find upgrades for their starting rotation on either the free agent or trade markets, as there are about fifteen other teams around baseball that are in need of it as well and some teams have a need to add two or three starting pitchers such as the Los Angeles Angels, Texas Rangers, and Minnesota Twins. Therefore, it could pose a challenge for the Yankees in their attempt to sign a free agent or two depending on how much money they have to spend, but recently there have been reports that the Yankees could be open to dealing a current member of their starting rotation to free up some payroll space. That starting pitcher would likely be left-hander, J.A. Happ, who is set to make ($17) million dollars in 2020 and has a vesting option for the 2021 regular season. If the Yankees are able to trade Happ to another team in need of starting pitching, then it really could help them considerably since they would have more payroll space to address their next need which is depth at the centerfield position. Right now, if the season started today, the Yankees would go with Aaron Hicks as their Opening Day centerfielder and if recent history shows anything, they might need to add an extra assurance option for him in the event of an injury. Now, New York probably won't go after someone like Marcell Ozuna to play center, but a guy like Adam Jones could be a very good option for the Yankees and give them someone with speed in the outfield and good power to add to the lineup. Finally, another potential area of need for the Yankees is to add another catcher. Gary Sanchez has struggled over the last few seasons, especially during the postseason, with passed balls and while the Yankees remain high on him, another assurance piece behind the dish would be a really good idea. As such, New York could attempt to trade for Chicago White Sox catcher, James McCann who should be heavily available now that the White Sox have signed Yasmani Grandal or see if the San Diego Padres would be willing to deal catcher, Austin Hedges who was the best pitch framer in all of baseball last year. San Diego has been known to have made Hedges available via trade as recently as last July and this offseason could be the time to move him. If neither of those options come to fruition, then the Yankees could be forced to turn to the free agent market for someone such as Jason Castro, Yan Gomes, or Martin Maldonado. 

2. Tampa Bay Rays (96-66 Record in 2019) 

• Upgrade at Second Base 
• Established Third Baseman 
• Another Outfield Option for Depth 

The Tampa Bay Rays are the team that never stops trying regardless of what hurdles or obstacles are placed in front of them each and every season. The Rays found a way to capture the second American League Wild Card spot last season with a ($60) million dollar Opening Day payroll and seemingly always find a way to put together a pitching staff of high upside guys that virtually no one has ever heard of before. That's part of the equation that has made the Rays so successful over the last handful of seasons and they will likely look to do that once again this offseason heading into 2020. If the season started today, the Tampa Bay Rays would have a ($68.7) million dollar payroll which would put them twenty-seventh in all of baseball. Dating back to the 2000 regular season, the Rays payroll has never gone above the 2014 regular season amount of ($76.8) million dollars so that is probably the threshold the Rays want to stick around going into next year. However, with a playoff run from last season, who knows if they might be willing to increase that threshold to between ($80-$90) million dollars and become even more competitive from that standpoint. 

Regardless of that, the Rays will need to add another player to their middle infield and in the perfect world, they should look to make an upgrade at second base and then continue adding to the position player core with an established third baseman. Heading into this offseason, there was talk that Tampa Bay wanted to add an established second baseman and on here we suggested that they should attempt to make a deal for Kansas City Royals second baseman, Whit Merrifield, even though Kansas City has been very reluctant to trade him over the course of the past year. With that being said, Tampa Bay has the farm system and can put together a prospect package that gets the attention of the Royals front office and encourages them to potentially pull the trigger. Shifting the focus over to third base now, the Rays recently released their former third baseman, Matt Duffy, this past week and now have an obvious hole over at that position. If the season opened today, Tampa Bay would have Joey Wendle as their Opening Day third baseman and while Wendle is talented in his own way, an established upgrade at that spot would be very helpful. Now, it's not known if Tampa Bay would go to free agency and make a big splash to address their need at the hot corner with one of the big named free agents in Anthony Rendon, Josh Donaldson, or Mike Moustakas, but if the Rays feel like that is something they need, the front office and their ownership might feel as though the investment is well worth it in the end. If the Rays would rather make a trade to address third base, then they could see if the New York Yankees would be willing to deal third baseman, Miguel Andujar and go that route instead. Finally, another need for the Rays is to add another depth option in the outfield preferably for centerfield or rightfield. If you look at the depth chart for the Rays right now, they only have Kevin Kiermaier listed which means that they should probably add some depth there or over in rightfield so they can utilize, Austin Meadows, in the Designated Hitter spot when necessary. 

3. Boston Red Sox (84-78 Record in 2019) 

• Make a Trade or Two That Slashes the Payroll 
• Be Creative and Look at Every Potential Option to Make the Team Better 
• Established Arm at the Back of the Bullpen 

Coming off a World Series Championship in 2018, the Boston Red Sox had a very disappointing season last year and it was one that many of their fans probably would like to forget. Now, the team has a new front office brass in place led by Chief Baseball Officer, Chaim Bloom, who the Red Sox hired from the in-division Tampa Bay Rays recently. Bloom is going to have his work cut out for him this offseason and is going to need to be creative and open minded with whatever direction he decides to go with making potential moves. Boston concluded the 2019 regular season well over the luxury tax threshold of ($206) million dollars for last year with a payroll of ($236.1) million dollars and ownership has made it very clear that they want to get that amount well below next year's luxury tax threshold this offseason. If Boston were to open the season today with the current team in place, they would have a projected payroll amount of ($224) million dollars - the highest in all of baseball. So in order for Chaim Bloom & Company to achieve the goal of getting well below the luxury tax threshold this offseason, they are going to need to be creative and ensure that a couple of things happen. 

One of the first things that Bloom and his entire front office staff should focus on is making a trade or two that slashes the payroll in some significant form or fashion. As has been highly reported from a number of different outlets, the obvious way to do that would be by trading rightfielder, Mookie Betts, who is projected to make ($27.5) million dollars in his final year of arbitration. The only challenge with that is going to be Betts salary and the fact that some teams might be reluctant to give the Red Sox a really good prospect package in return unless Boston eats some of the money. So, that's where someone like centerfielder, Jackie Bradley Jr. who is expected to be non-tendered this offseason, could come into play. Bradley Jr. is expected to make ($11.5) million dollars next year and could be a very valuable option for any team in need of centerfield help including the: Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox, and New York Mets. Another route the Red Sox could go in an attempt to be as creative as possible and try to bolster their roster is by trading one of the left-handers in their starting rotation. David Price has three-years and ($96) million dollars remaining on his deal, while Chris Sale is going to start the first year of his five-year contract with a total salary of ($145) million dollars. It's going to be a significant challenge for Chaim Bloom to find a suitor for either guy, but a team like the Texas Rangers has already been connected to both guys. However, in the event of a trade, Boston would need to provide clear and accurate medical information and the acquiring team might even suggest MRI's on different body parts for either Price or Sale to ensure that both were completely healthy. If Boston can find a way to make both of those trades happen, then they will have definitely achieved their goal of getting well below the luxury tax threshold line to give the franchise more payroll flexibility moving forward. The final thing that the Boston Red Sox should focus on is bringing in an established arm for the back of their bullpen. If you recall, that was a significant problem for the Red Sox last season and while they were able to get by with some of the young arms they possess, another veteran presence would be a good idea at the back end and there are some good options in free agency to accomplish that goal. 

4. Toronto Blue Jays (67-95 Record in 2019) 

• Add At Least Two Established Arms to the Starting Rotation 
• Trade Closer Ken Giles 
• Be Open to Trading a Catcher If The Right Offer Comes Along 

Heading into the 2020 regular season, the Toronto Blue Jays will once again be in rebuild mode, but they are going to be a step further than they were during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. After last season, the Blue Jays have started to form a great core of young positional players in second baseman Craig Biggio, shortstop Bo Bichette, third baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and leftfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. With that positional player core group in place and with another big league season under their belt, the Blue Jays should begin to start playing a more competitive brand of baseball next year, but that doesn't mean that they shouldn't spend this offseason and make some necessary upgrades to certain parts of their roster. It was just three years ago that the Blue Jays had a ($163) million dollar payroll and now that amount is projected to be ($66) million dollars heading into next year, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts. So spending money and payroll flexibility definitely should not be a concern for the Blue Jays moving forward especially considering that the team plays in a top ten media market and has a very good ownership group in place. 

With that being said, the biggest need for the Toronto Blue Jays this offseason is to add at least two established arms to the starting rotation. If the Blue Jays have a goal of playing at a more competitive level and potentially looking to be a contender come the 2021 season, then now is the time for them to make the necessary upgrades to make that happen. As stated previously, Toronto will have plenty of competition in trying to address that need as there are virtually fifteen other teams around baseball looking for starting pitching, but that doesn't mean that Toronto shouldn't try their hardest to bring in some credibility to their rotation. On the free agent market, right-hander Jake Odorizzi would have been the perfect option for the Blue Jays and was reportedly their first target before he accepted the Qualifying Offer from the Minnesota Twins. Therefore, Toronto should focus on free agent options such as left-hander Wade Miley or right-hander Tanner Roark. Both Miley and Roark would give Toronto good options and even someone like right-hander Kyle Gibson could be a nice addition. Furthermore, the Blue Jays could always turn to the trade route as well and see if they can make a deal happen with a team that potentially involves closer, Ken Giles. Giles is entering his final season of team control in 2020 and given where the Blue Jays are in terms of being competitive, now might be a very good time to trade him. Since there are a fair amount of teams that will be scouring the market for relief arms and given the lack of impact options in free agency, there's bound to be some interest in Giles - if Toronto can prove that he is healthy and doesn't have any injury concerns at the moment. A team like the Los Angeles Dodgers could be an option for Ken Giles as could the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, or Los Angeles Angels. The goal here would be to trade Giles to open up a spot for the Blue Jays to start to find their closer of the future. Finally, while it's not a need by any means, Toronto might be wise to listen to trade offers for someone in their stable of catchers. As it stands right now, the Blue Jays would open the season with three catchers: Danny Jansen, Luke Maile, and Reese McGuire. So far this offseason, there have been rumors of teams contacting the Blue Jays about those three catchers and with the need for solid catching this offseason, now could be the time to pull the trigger. 

5. Baltimore Orioles (54-108 Record in 2019) 

• Find a Team Willing to Trade for Dylan Bundy 
• Trade Second Baseman Jonathan Villar 
• Trade Relivers Mychal Givens and/or Richard Bleier 

The Baltimore Orioles are currently in the midst of a long rebuild process that started in grand fashion prior to last season and is going to continue for the next handful of years. Therefore, it's likely to be another long season in Baltimore (sorry Orioles fans!) and that means that everything that happens this offseason should involve slashing more payroll and making trades to stockpile prospects for the future where possible. Baltimore Orioles Executive Vice President and General Manager, Mike Elias, is committed to doing a full blown rebuild of the major league team as well as every facet of the Orioles organization and has made some great strides forward since being hired. According to Cot's Baseball Contracts, the Orioles currently have a projected Opening Day payroll of ($72.8) million dollars which ranks twenty-sixth in all of baseball and is exactly what Baltimore needs right now. The two players that will earn the most next season are first baseman, Chris Davis who will earn ($21.1) million dollars, and right-handed pitcher, Alex Cobb who will earn ($14) million dollars. Unfortunately, neither of those guys are tradable assets for the Orioles, but there are other players that Baltimore should focus on attempting to move this offseason. 

At the very top of that list is right-handed starting pitcher, Dylan Bundy. With the demand for starting pitching this offseason, there should be a team out there that still sees potential in the 27-year old. Bundy, who has two years of team control left, could be a valuable option for the Minnesota Twins, Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, or Los Angeles Angels. The good news is that those teams have fairly regarded farm systems overall so the Baltimore Orioles might be able to find the perfect prospect package for their liking. On top of the fact that Bundy is still only 27-years old, he is also very affordable as models project that he will make an estimated ($5.25) million dollars in arbitration. Secondly, once the team has found a trade partner for Dylan Bundy, they should set their sets towards trying to trade second baseman, Jonathan Villar. Villar has reportedly been made heavily available and there are teams looking to make an upgrade at that position. The unfortunate thing is Villar only has one-year of team control remaining, but he could be a terrific leadoff option for the Chicago Cubs at the top of their lineup. The Cubs have interest in aforementioned Kansas City Royals second baseman, Whit Merrifield, but Jonathan Villar could be a cheaper option and someone that wouldn't command anywhere near the return that Merrifield would. Other potential options for Jonathan Villar include the: Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay Rays, Philadelphia Phillies, and Washington Nationals. Villar probably won't net a significant package of prospects, but a mid-to-lower level prospect with upside would be a good acquisition for Baltimore. Lastly, with the lack of impact relievers available on the free agent market, Baltimore should be more than willing to listen to trade offers for relievers, Mychal Givens and/or Richard Bleier. Both Givens and Bleier had very poor seasons last year, but there could still be some upside for a team that acquires either arm. Sometimes, players need a change of scenery to change their craft and this could be one of those instances for both Givens and Bleier. Previously, here on this blog we suggested that the Minnesota Twins should look to acquire either Dylan Bundy or Jonathan Villar and then see what they could do to add Mychal Givens or Richard Bleier to the trade package as well. Of course, if the deal includes Bundy along with one of Givens or Bleier, there's a ton of risk involved for Minnesota, but they could be two impactful pieces for the Twins pitching staff moving forward.