AL East a division of musical chairs in 2015
The Baltimore Orioles (19-22) and Toronto Blue Jays (20-26) are the only teams in the American League East that have not sat atop the division standings alone. Now, entering the final week of May, the first place Tampa Bay Rays (24-21) and the last place Blue Jays are only separated by a mere 4.5 games in Major League Baseball’s AL East.
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Toronto came the closest to leading the division in the first week of the season when they shared the lead with the Boston Red Sox (21-23) as late as April 12. Then on April 19, Boston relinquished sole possession of that lead, sharing it with the Orioles. The New York Yankees (22-22) then held their own atop the standings for much of May, but losing 10 of their last 11, including being swept over the weekend in a three game series by the Texas Rangers, has allowed the surprise Rays to grab ahold of the division entering May’s final week of play.
The American League East has been billed as one of the more dominant and competitive divisions in baseball for years. The division is responsible for 10 World Series championships dating back to 1990 and 13 AL pennants. Poor pitching this season appears to be leaving some doubts surrounding a legitimate World Series contender from within the division.
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The current frontrunners of the AL East were supposed to feature a solid rotation in their pitcher friendly home park, Tropicana Field. The Rays would have featured one of the better rotations in all of the American League with Alex Cobb, Chris Archer, Drew Smyly, Jake Odorizzi and rookie Nate Karns projected to be around. Even after having lost Cobb, and possibly Smyly for the year, the rotation is still standing firm. Tampa’s starters trail only Oakland’s for the lowest combined ERA in the AL. Time will tell if the unit has long-term staying power along with rookie skipper Kevin Cash. Veteran’s Evan Longoria and David DeJesus are keeping the offense afloat.
For a team like the Blue Jays looking to break a playoff drought that extends beyond two decades, now is the time to strike. The Jays have one of MLBs best offenses, but their pitching is very lackluster. Fans may not want to hear it, but the acquisition of Josh Donaldson, Russell Martin and Devon Travis‘ emergence may open the door for GM Alex Anthopoulos to deal either fan favorite Edwin Encarnacion or Jose Bautista for a reliable arm before the trade deadline. Both players have an option for 2016 left on their contracts, so a deal between another contender with a surplus of pitching who needs a clutch bat down the stretch would have to be the scenario.
Last year’s AL East division champs are suffering the same fate as Toronto. The Orioles’ rotation has the 10th worst starters ERA in the AL, but the third best team batting average and have hit the fifth most home runs. While Ubaldo Jimenez (3-3, 2.82) is pitching well right now, other rotation staples like Chris Tillman (2-5, 6.10) and Bud Norris (1-4, 9.88) are struggling mightily.
The Bronx Bombers and BoSox continue on the same tangent of offering dangerous bats alongside mainly mediocre pitching. The Yankees’ bullpen is excellent. Closer Andrew Miller and setup man Dellin Betances have been scored on twice all season between their 43.1 IP, but the rotation has an ERA of 4.45. The Red Sox are even worse off, besting only the Blue Jays’ (5.09) rotation ERA with a mark of 4.96.
While the Rays sit atop the AL East at the moment, it’s easy to think their lead will dissipate at some point before the All-Star break. The division is tighter than any other in MLB and most teams within it are playing the same brand of score early and often baseball. The trade 2015 deadline should be a very interesting one in the AL East, as should the stretch run through the final weeks of September.