MLB: One Storyline to Look Forward to For Each Team in 2017
By Anthony Sosa
AL East
Boston Red Sox: Chris Sale in Beantown
The Red Sox won 93 games in 2016. This offseason, they lost David Ortiz but gained left-handed ace Chris Sale.
Sale didn’t come at a cheap cost. Boston traded away five prospects including third baseman Yoan Moncada and pitcher Michael Kopech for Sale.
Sale now joins a rotation with 2016 Cy Young winner Rick Porcello, David Price, Steven Wright and Drew Pomeranz. It should be fun to see Sale pitch in Boston. Perhaps 2017 will be the first time baseball fans can see Sale pitch in the playoffs.
Baltimore Orioles: Can they continue to win without a strong pitching staff?
The main question about the Orioles in 2016 was: How do they keep winning with that pitching staff? The Orioles have Chris Tillman as their ace but that isn’t saying much.
The Orioles have a powerful offense. They hit the most home runs in 2016 and re-signed slugger Mark Trumbo. They also have a great bullpen with relievers Brad Brach, Darren O’Day and closer Zach Britton.
Buck Showalter made the rotation work last year. The Orioles made the playoffs but the division rival Blue Jays knocked them out in the Wild Card Game. Baseball fans can look forward to seeing how that rotation does this season.
Toronto Blue Jays: Let that rotation go to work
The Blue Jays’ starting rotation is one of the best in baseball. Aaron Sanchez exploded onto the map in 2016, and the team expects good things to come from Marcus Stroman. J.A. Happ had the best season of his career, and veteran Marco Estrada has also been strong the past two years.
The team lost two key pieces on the offensive side in Edwin Encarnacion and Michael Saunders, but the pitching staff should make up for that in 2017.
New York Yankees: Gary Sanchez’s sophomore season
Last season, 24-year-old Gary Sanchez burst onto the scene for the Yankees. He hit 20 home runs and knocked in 42 runs in just 53 games.
Now as the Yankees’ full-time catcher, it’ll be interesting to see how Sanchez fares in his first full season in New York. Is a sophomore slump in store or is Sanchez going to explode on offense again? We’ll find out soon enough.
Tampa Bay Rays: Who’s next to go?
The Rays dealt Matt Moore at the trade deadline in 2016. During the offseason, they traded both Drew Smyly and Logan Forsythe. It’s clear in a tough division that the Rays are the weakest link.
The real question is, who will they trade next? Will it be veteran Evan Longoria, ace Chris Archer or somebody else? If the Rays get off to a rough start in 2017, they’ll more than likely ship off quite a few players.