AROUND THE AL EAST
BALTIMORE ORIOLES 2017: 75-87
Manager: Buck Showalter (ninth year) Spring training site: Sarasota, Fla.
Key additions: The Orioles are among the many teams that have had an unusually quiet offseason, but at least they have a new shortstop. Manny Machado, who once appeared to be headed out of Baltimore this offseason, is expected to move from third to short, swapping positions with Tim Beckham. Other than that, they have mostly added players on minor league deals and from the Rule 5 draft.
Key losses: With Welington Castillo now with the White Sox, the Orioles don’t have a clear answer at catcher, where Caleb Joseph and Chance Sisco could split time. Closer Zach Britton ruptured his Achilles tendon in December and will miss a large portion of the season. J.J. Hardy’s team option was declined, and the bulk of an underwhelming rotation is gone. Storylines to watch: Once again, they need to solidify the rotation behind Kevin Gausman and Dylan Bundy and have been linked to several free agents — like Lance Lynn and Alex Cobb, among others. They are also in search of help in the outfield and have expressed interest in several targets — including Carlos Gonzalez, Jon Jay and Jarrod Dyson — to add to a lineup that should hit plenty of homers.
BOSTON RED SOX 2017: 93-69
Manager: Alex Cora (first year) Spring training site: Fort Myers, Fla. Biggest additions: The roster is very similar to the one that won the AL East last season, and the main change is at the top, with Cora replacing John Farrell. The team’s long-anticipated signing of J.D. Martinez has yet to happen, but Mitch Moreland was re-signed and will be back at first base. Biggest losses: Say what you want about Farrell, he guided the Red Sox to division titles in each of the past two seasons, albeit with no postseason success after the 2013 World Series. Addison Reed signed with the Twins. Storylines to watch: Dustin Pedroia is recovering from knee surgery, meaning the return of Eduardo Nunez is not out of the question. Logan Morrison is another potential target if Martinez doesn’t end up in Boston. Chris Sale altered his offseason workout routine in hopes of avoiding the second half dropoff he experienced last season. Boston needs bounce-back seasons from David Price and Rick Porcello, and for Andrew Benintendi and Rafael Devers to prove their success wasn’t a fluke.
TAMPA BAY RAYS
2017: 80-82 Manager: Kevin Cash (fourth year) Spring training site: Port Charlotte, Fla.
Key additions: Veteran outfielder Denard Span will likely be in left field and Christian Arroyo could be at third. Arroyo is the 22-year-old the Rays landed in the deal that sent the face of the franchise, Evan Longoria, to San Francisco.
Biggest losses: Though Tampa Bay has always traded its best players when they became too expensive, no one had spent as much time with the organization as Longoria. Logan Morrison is expected to sign elsewhere. Brad Boxberger went to Arizona, and Steve Cishek and Tommy Hunter signed elsewhere, with Alex Cobb sure to follow. Lucas Duda also remains unsigned. Storylines to watch: Arroyo will no doubt be looked at as a replacement for Longoria, and prospect Willy Adames may push for time at short. Chris Archer and Jake Odorizzi could anchor the rotation, or they could also be traded. Ex-Yankee Nathan Eovaldi is set to return from his second Tommy John
surgery. Manager: John Gibbons (sixth year) Spring training site: Dunedin, Fla. Biggest additions: Another sign of how chilly the free-agent market has been is that the Blue Jays’ signing of Curtis Granderson managed to stand out. Toronto also added Yangervis Solarte and Randal Grichuk in trades, as well as former AllStar shortstop Aledmys Diaz. John Axford was brought in on a freeagent contract. Biggest losses: Jose Bautista’s option was declined, and Miguel Montero signed with Washington. Storylines to watch: Like other teams, they have been linked with plenty of free-agent pitching, mostly secondtier starters like Chris Tillman and Jason Vargas. They’ll also look for Marco Estrada to perform better and Aaron Sanchez to stay healthy. Troy Tulowitzki was limited to 66 games last season, and Josh Donaldson is in the final year of his contract. —Dan Martin
TORONTO BLUE JAYS 2017: 76-86