Haves, have-nots divide division
Every team in the AL East has won at least one division title since 2010, but that parity may be long gone by the time Opening Day arrives.
Baseball’s most notoriously difficult division is heading for its greatest disparity since the mid-2000s, when the Red Sox were breaking a curse and the Rays had not yet rid themselves of the Devil.
Yesterday, the chasm between the haves and havenots grew wider as the Rays traded franchise icon Evan Longoria to San Francisco and the Orioles lost closer Zach Britton to a ruptured Achilles.
As the bottom half of the division continues to slide, it seems possible, if not likely, the AL East will feature two legitimate contenders alongside three of the worst teams in baseball.
The Yankees keep adding talent this offseason, improving a roster that finished one win away from the World Series. The Red Sox are known to be in the market for a big bat, trying to add offense to a team that’s won back-to-back division titles.
The rest of the division, though, is heading in the opposite direction.
By trading Longoria — hands down, the best player in franchise history — Tampa Bay has triggered a total rebuild. If the third baseman can go, no one is sacred. Starter Chris Archer? Closer Alex Colome? Left fielder/designated hitter Corey Dickerson? Come and get ’em.
Baltimore has been hesitant to take such a drastic step toward rebuilding. The Orioles have so far held onto their own star third baseman, Manny Machado, despite talk that they’ll trade him. But the bullpen was arguably their greatest strength, and they’ve now lost their closer. The Britton injury makes the Orioles immediately worse, and surely increases the likelihood of their own fire sale.
Then there’s Toronto, a team that has done even less than the Red Sox this winter. One key difference between the two? The Red Sox won the division last season while the Blue Jays finished just one win better than the last-place Orioles. Third baseman and 2015 AL MVP Josh Donaldson is one year away from free agency, shortstop Troy Tulowitzki seems to have aged 10 years in the past 21⁄2 seasons, and there’s little to suggest the Blue Jays are planning a significant offseason upgrade.
Assuming the Red Sox find the bat they’re seeking, they could punch it out with the Yankees for first place, while the Rays, Orioles and Blue Jays struggle to win as many as 80 games.
This trend really started last season when the Red Sox and Yankees each finished more than 10 games ahead of the others. The Rays took third place with just 80 wins, marking the first time since 2005 that more than half the division finished below .500.
Every team in the AL East seemed to be at least trying to win in 2017. Injuries and disappointments caused those teams to underperform after entering the season with optimism.
It’s harder to find such a bright side this winter.
And it’s been a long time since that was the case.
Just two years ago, four teams in the AL East finished with at least 84 wins and three made the playoffs. Twice this decade, the division has included three 90win teams.
To find a time when the AL East was as top heavy as it could be next season, go back to 2005 when the Red Sox and Yankees each won 95 games, while the rest won no more than 80. Tampa Bay — still the Devil Rays back then — was in the basement at 67-95, which actually wasn’t all that bad for that organization at the time.
The year before was even more lopsided. The Red Sox and Yankees each won 98 games, while the rest of the division won no more than 78.
Of course, 2004 ended with the Red Sox’ first championship in 86 years.
Disparity’s not so bad when you’re one of the good teams.