AL East division preview: Lineups, rotations and one question to watch for each team ahead of 2025 season

Can the Yankees repeat? Did the Red Sox do enough? Everything to know about the AL East for 2025

By Mike Axisa

Mar 19, 2025 at 11:15 am ET • 15 min read

USATSI

Once again, the AL East was one of baseball's toughest divisions in 2024. And, once again, the AL East looks like it will be one of baseball's toughest divisions in 2025. The division features star power, truly some of the best players in the world, and also several of the game's smartest front offices and deepest pockets. There's a chance the AL East will send four teams to the postseason this coming season. I wouldn't call it likely, but the chances it happens definitely aren't 0%.

With Opening Day just a week away, here now is our AL East season preview, with everything you need to know about the five teams.

New York Yankees

Projected starting lineup

Projected rotation

Notable relievers

Closer: RHP Devin Williams
Setup: RHP Luke Weaver
Middle: RHP Fernando Cruz and LHP Tim Hill

Biggest question: Can they overcome all these injuries?

For a team coming off a pennant, the Yankees have a lot of questions. How much does Goldschmidt have left in the tank? Is this the year Volpe breaks out offensively? What's the plan at third base? (It could be Oswald Peraza rather than Cabrera.) What do they do at DH while Giancarlo Stanton is sidelined with elbow trouble, which would be the entire season if he opts for surgery? History says they'll rotate players through the DH spot with Judge getting most of those at-bats, but Rice has crushed the ball this spring, and Domínguez's glovework suggests maybe it should be him. Who's hitting leadoff? Wells has hit three leadoff homers this spring. It looks like it will be him on Opening Day.

The Yankees lost Juan Soto in free agency and so many nights last season the difference was the Yankees had Judge and Soto, and the other team did not. It really was that simple at times. That dynamic is gone. This was the story of the 2024 Yankees:

	PA	AVG/OBP/SLG	HR	WAR
Judge and Soto	1,417	.305/.439/.634	99	18.7
Everyone Else	4,828	.233/.301.375	138	11.4

Soto is gone and it's unclear how much the Yankees improved the "Everyone Else" portion of the lineup. Bellinger's pull-heavy fly ball approach should lead to a lot of homers at Yankee Stadium. A full season of Chisholm will help too. He hit 24 homers and stole 40 bases a year ago. He has real shot at going 30/30 in the Bronx. Wells, last year's third-place finisher in the AL Rookie of the Year voting, and Volpe could take steps forward. Not many folks question Domínguez's offensive upside.

While there is no replacing Soto, the Yankees' Plan B was about as good as it could be under the circumstances. They added Fried to the rotation, Williams to the bullpen, and Bellinger and Goldschmidt to the lineup. Without Soto, the Yankees pivoted toward run prevention, and the risk with relying on run prevention is pitching injuries are that much more harmful. No team has been harder by injury this spring. Stanton's out for who knows how long, reigning AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil will be out until late May or early June with a lat strain, and Gerrit Cole needed Tommy John surgery. He's done for 2025.

Like Soto, Cole is irreplaceable. Between him and Gil, the Yankees have lost what, 275-300 good to great innings? Whatever margin of error the Yankees had coming into the year is pretty much gone. The team defense should be better, particularly in center and right fields and on the right side of the infield. The bullpen should be better too. But the lineup is thinner (Gleyber Torres also left as a free agent and he was dynamite in the leadoff spot late last year) with a lot of high-variance hitters (Bellinger, Chisholm, Domínguez, etc.), and the rotation has taken some body blows this spring. And what happens if Judge performs "merely" like an MVP candidate instead of repeating the best season by the right-handed hitter ever?

The Yankees were a top-10 team in run prevention last year even with Cole being limited to 17 starts by a nerve issue. Now they won't have him for the entire season. The question is whether the run prevention and the additions of Bellinger and Goldschmidt (and a full season of Chisholm) will be enough to replace the offense lost when Soto (and Torres) departed. The Yankees should be a more well-rounded team in 2025. But will they be better? It's very unlikely without Cole. Ultimately, their goal isn't winning the AL East. It's winning the World Series after falling short last year. That's the standard against which the Yankees will be judged.

Baltimore Orioles (AL East odds: 4%)

Projected starting lineup

SS Gunnar Henderson, LHB
C Adley Rutschman, SHB
DH Ryan O'Hearn, LHB and Gary Sánchez, RHB
3B Jordan Westburg, RHB
RF Colton Cowser, LHB
LF Tyler O'Neill, RHB
CF Cedric Mullins, LHB and Ramón Laureano, RHB
1B Ryan Mountcastle, RHB
2B Jackson Holliday, LHB

Projected rotation

Notable relievers

Closer: RHP Félix Bautista
Setup: RHP Yennier Cano and RHP Seranthony Domínguez

Biggest question: Is there enough pitching to support the offense?

I think it's fair to say the Orioles had a disappointing offseason. They lost ace Corbin Burnes and 44-homer man Anthony Santander to free agency and didn't make much of an effort to retain either. O'Neill received the largest contract of general manager Mike Elias' tenure, a modest three-year deal worth $49.5 million (with an opt out after 2024), but has played 100 games only twice in six full big-league seasons. Morton and Sugano were brought in to be veteran innings dudes more than needle-movers. You kind of expected (or at least hoped for) more from a team that is out of the rebuild and into contention. Oh, and they're under new ownership too.

Disappointing offseason aside, the O's have an enviable talent base, particularly on the position player side. Henderson is one of the best players in the world, Rutschman and Westburg are comfortably above-average players at their positions, and Holliday is a year removed from being the best prospect in the game. Yes, Holliday struggled badly in his MLB debut last year (so did fellow top prospect Coby Mayo), but he is a premium talent, and the Orioles have enough offense that they can give Holliday a long leash in 2025 and let him work through growing pains. There is youth and immense upside up and down the lineup.

The question is whether there's enough pitching to support that lineup. Grayson Rodriguez has ace upside and also a knack for missing big chunks of the season with injury, and he'll begin season on the shelf with an elbow issue. Given their ages, Morton (41) and Sugano (35) carry at least as much collapse risk as "we're comfortable starting them in a postseason game" upside, if not more. The pitching pipeline is not as robust as the position player pipeline has been in recent years, especially now that righty Chayce McDermott is hurt. Povich, a pitchability lefty, is the top depth option and could get the nod to replace Rodriguez, with Suárez sliding back into a long relief role.

Elias has been loathe to invest heavily in pitching, presumably because there's so much injury risk and because never before has pitching development been so good. It's not just about young pitchers either. Development includes turning a 35-year-old journeyman like Suárez into a guy who gives you 133 ⅔ innings with a 3.70 ERA like he did last year. That said, the best teams develop pitchers and pay for top-of-the-line talent. The O's do the former. They haven't been willing to do the latter, and it's fair to wonder if that puts them behind the game's other elite teams.

The O's have traded for starting pitchers at each of the last two trade deadlines and those deals were hit and miss. Eflin was a great pickup last year. Trevor Rogers was not, ditto Jack Flaherty in 2023. It's not hard to think Elias will be in the market for a starter at the deadline again this summer, and with former No. 2 overall pick Heston Kjerstad perpetually blocked into the outfield, he stands out as a trade chip. (Is there a Kjerstad for Dylan Cease trade to be made?) Either way, Baltimore should again be very good and a high-scoring team in 2025. It's just a matter of keeping runs off the board.

Boston Red Sox

Projected starting lineup

LF Jarren Duran, LHB
DH Rafael Devers, LHB
3B Alex Bregman, RHB
1B Triston Casas, LHB
SS Trevor Story, RHB
RF Wilyer Abreu and Rob Refsnyder, RHB
2B Kristian Campbell? Marcelo Mayer? David Hamilton?
C Connor Wong, RHB
CF Ceddanne Rafaela, RHB

Projected rotation

Notable relievers

Closers: LHP Aroldis Chapman and RHP Liam Hendriks
Setup: RHP Justin Slaten and RHP Garrett Whitlock

Biggest question: Are they ready to make a leap?

On paper, the Red Sox improved as much as any team this offseason. Crochet is a difference-making starter, one who seems like he is just beginning to scratch the surface of his ability at age 25. He should be Boston's best starter since Chris Sale was in his prime. Bregman is battle-tested with an offensive approach (pull the ball in the air) that is tailor-made for Fenway Park. Buehler is not what he once was following his second Tommy John surgery, though he showed last postseason that he can be counted on when the lights are brightest. The Red Sox made meaningful upgrades to their offense and pitching staff.

Furthermore, the BoSox have arguably the top farm system in baseball, one that includes our No. 1 (Roman Anthony), No. 3 (Kristian Campbell), and No. 10 (Marcelo Mayer) overall prospects. That's even after the Red Sox traded their two most recent first-round picks (Kyle Teel and Braden Montgomery) for Crochet. The Red Sox have a strong lineup, a much improved rotation, and upper-level prospect depth that will allow them to upscale their roster in a way other AL East teams can't. Anthony, Campbell, and Mayer could all debut this summer. This is a very good team that could get even better simply through internal promotions.

The Red Sox have hovered around .500 the last three years (78-84 in 2022 and 2023, then 81-81 in 2024) and should take a step forward this year, perhaps even a really big one. There are some concerns here, particularly pitcher health with Brayan Bello (shoulder), Kutter Crawford (knee), and Lucas Giolito (hamstring) banged up (Giolito is coming off elbow surgery too). And, as Jackson Holliday showed with the Orioles last year, top prospects like Anthony, Campbell, and Mayer are not guaranteed to come up and make an immediate impact. Still, it's hard not to like the talent base Boston has put together.

In a watered-down American League, the Red Sox are well-positioned to return to the postseason for the first time since 2021 and only the second time since 2018. The AL East title could be there for the taking too after the Yankees lost Juan Soto (free agency) and Gerrit Cole (Tommy John surgery), and the Orioles lost Corbin Burnes and Anthony Santander. The Red Sox have had an unfortunate knack for performing below expectations the last few years. They'll have to shake that this summer. With Crochet and Bregman joining Devers, Duran, and those top prospects, it certainly feels like the Red Sox are poised to make a leap into the game's elite.

Tampa Bay Rays

Projected starting lineup

1B Yandy Díaz, RHB
2B Brandon Lowe, LHB
3B Junior Caminero, RHB
RF Josh Lowe, LHB
C Danny Jansen, RHB
LF Christopher Morel, RHB
DH Jonathan Aranda, LHB and Eloy Jiménez, RHB
CF Jonny DeLuca, RHB
SS Taylor Walls, SHB

Projected rotation

Notable relievers

Closer: RHP Pete Fairbanks
Setup: RHP Edwin Uceta
Middle: LHP Garrett Cleavinger and RHP Manuel Rodríguez

Biggest question: How will GMS Field change the team's outlook?

Because of hurricane damage to Tropicana Field, the Rays will play home games this season at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa proper. GMS Field is the spring training home of the Yankees and also their Class-A affiliate. (The Low-A team will instead play at the minor-league complex this year.) Updates were made to the GMS Field facilitates, including the clubhouses and training areas, to make them MLB-caliber. It is the best the Rays and MLB could do under the circumstances.

GMS Field has the same dimensions as Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, which means a short right field, and is more hitter friendly in general than the Trop. Here are the park factors for Tropicana Field (via Statcast) and GMS Field (via Baseball America):

	Runs	Home runs
Tropicana Field	92	99
GMS Field	101	150

Those numbers tell us the Trop suppressed runs to 92% of the league average last year, and homers to 99% of the league average. GMS Field's home run park factor -- 150% of the league average! -- is relative to the Low-A Florida State League, not MLB. We're not comparing apples to apples here. We're comparing MLB park factors to Low-A park factors because it's all we have right now. Clearly though, given the ballpark dimensions, it's fair to expect GMS Field to be more hitter friendly than Tropicana Field.

The Lowes -- Brandon pronounces it like "wow" and Josh like "low" -- in particular should benefit from GMS Field's short right field porch, ditto infielder Curtis Mead, who's had a tough time sticking in the big leagues but is a righty who uses the opposite field a great deal. The Rays ranked 29th in runs and 28th in homers last year. The ballpark should help the offense, certainly. Tampa's pitchers, meanwhile, will likely serve up more homers. It's a double-edged sword. The hitters will benefit. The pitchers will not.

Beyond the on-field impact of the new ballpark, there are also logistical concerns. GMS Field does not have a roof and it rains a lot in Florida. Pretty much every afternoon. The Rays figure to run into a lot of rain delays and postponements, and postponements mean makeup dates and doubleheaders. MLB has tweaked the schedule a bit in an effort to avoid the rainiest months. As a result, the Rays will play 47 of their first 59 games at home in 2025, and 69 of their final 103 games on the road.

Ultimately, GMS Field is the great unknown. We know how it plays with Low-A minor leaguers. How will it play with big leaguers? How much will weather affect the Rays over the long haul (rain delays, oppressive humidity, etc.)? We just don't know. The Rays went 80-82 last year, their worst record since 2017. They do have a track record of outperforming expectations though, and the safe bet is on Tampa doing it again in 2025. The new ballpark is an X-factor. It will impact the team. How much is anyone's guess.

Toronto Blue Jays

Projected starting lineup

SS Bo Bichette, RHB
1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr., RHB
LF Anthony Santander, SHB
CF Daulton Varsho, LHB
RF George Springer, RHB
DH WIll Wagner, LHB
C Alejandro Kirk, RHB
2B Andrés Giménez, LHB
3B Ernie Clement, RHB

Projected rotation

Notable relievers

Closer: RHP Jeff Hoffman
Setup: RHP Yimi García and RHP Chad Green

Biggest question: Is this the core's last ride?

It was another offseason of chasing the top free agents and settling for second- and third-tier players. The Blue Jays pursued Pete Alonso, Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, and Juan Soto, and landed none of them. That came on the heels of last winter's failed Shohei Ohtani pursuit. Toronto did eventually land Santander, who slugged 44 homers last year and will greatly help a team that finished 25th in home runs in 2024. Giménez and Hoffman are nice additions, though the Blue Jays had to take on the nearly $100 million owed to Giménez to get him, and Hoffman was available only after flunking physicals with the Orioles and Atlanta Braves.

The offseason started poorly (missing on Burnes, Fried, Soto, et al), bounced back nicely in January (landing Hoffman, Santander, etc.), then closed on a sour note when the Blue Jays were unable to agree to a long-term extension with Guerrero before his self-imposed Feb. 18 deadline. Guerrero will become a free agent after the season -- "We didn't get an agreement. Now they're going to have to compete with 29 other teams," he said after his deadline -- as will Bichette, Bassitt, and Green. Gausman and Springer are in their mid-30s and their performance has begun to decline. The farm system also rates poorly.

The Blue Jays went 74-88 in 2024, their worst record since 2019, and they have not won a postseason game since 2016. Bichette and Guerrero are coming up on free agency and they've yet to win a postseason game. Also coming up on free agency? Team president Mark Shapiro. GM Ross Atkins is only under contract through 2026. The Blue Jays are staring down potentially seismic change (Bichette and Guerrero leave as free agents, new front office, etc.) without a strong 2025 season. Heck, that seismic change could come even with a great season. Bichette and Guerrero could leave anyway, and where does Toronto go from there?

Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves though. There is an entire 2025 season to play and the Blue Jays are an improved team. I'd say greatly improved. Santander provides much-needed power, García and Hoffman should help a bullpen that was among the league's worst last year, and there is every reason to think Bichette will bounce back from his injury-plagued 2024. He just turned 27 and was among the game's best hitters from 2020-23. With the calf and finger injuries in the past, Bichette should return to being a force this summer, which would further improve the lineup. Even with all those free-agent misses, the Blue Jays are improved.

The AL East is going to be an absolute grind this year -- you could argue the Orioles, Red Sox, and Yankees are the American League's top three teams -- though there are three wild-card spots now, and it might only take 83-84 wins to get one of them in 2025. Maybe less! You needn't try hard to see the Blue Jays claiming a wild-card berth. What happens after the season? I don't know. The Blue Jays don't either. There's is, potentially, a lot of change on the horizon. There is still a season to play out first, and the Blue Jays improved enough to at least make noise in the postseason race this year.