Blue Jays, Red Sox, Yankees facing monster offseason ahead of 2024
The three teams in the American League East who generally are at the top of the standings are facing a big offseason to catch up with the Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays.
The Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays ruled the American League East in 2023. Both teams overtook the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays to set the pace all summer long and take the top two spots.
When it came to the postseason, it was an October to forget for the Orioles, Rays, and Blue Jays as they went a combined 0-7 with Tampa Bay and Toronto being swept in the Wild Card round, then Baltimore was swept by the Texas Rangers in the Divisional round.
If there is one clear thing, the bottom three teams in the division have some work to do to catch up with the teams ahead of them as the Orioles are an up-and-coming team that isn’t going anywhere and the Rays are a team that doesn’t spend, but they are built for the regular-season grind.
Let’s take a look at why Toronto, Boston, and New York are facing monster offseasons this winter.
Toronto Blue Jays
Entering each season, there is excitement in Canada for the start of the Blue Jays season and they usually give their fans a good regular season, but they can’t win in October. This winter, they are facing several questions and potential needs heading into 2024.
Third baseman Matt Chapman is likely gone, which is going to leave a void defensively. He was streaky at the plate, but his defense was some of the best on the hot corner in the American League, as evidenced by his being a Gold Glove finalist.
Outfield depth is a need for GM Ross Atkins, but his biggest question will be surrounding the starting pitching. Can Alek Manoah return to 2022 Alek Manoah after a disastrous 2023 that saw him sent to Florida in June and never helped them again? Toronto certainly hopes so as when he’s on, he’s a Cy Young-caliber type of pitcher. If they need to hit free agency for an arm, there are plenty of end-of-the-rotation starters to choose from.
Boston Red Sox
Before the 2023 season even came to a close, the Red Sox fired Chaim Bloom in what could be considered a surprising move. He did what ownership wanted, built a team with prospects and a low payroll. It wasn’t his fault it never worked out.
Boston hired former pitcher Craig Breslow as their GM and he has some work to do to turn them back into a contender. The biggest need this offseason is another arm for the starting rotation as it is filled with question marks with how injury-prone it was last season and the season before. Chris Sale’s health is always a concern and an arm like Jordan Montgomery would be a nice pickup.
A right-handed bat is needed, however, will Breslow sign a full-time DH and take up a spot that Alex Cora is going to need to have flexibility at to get guys off their feet defensively, but keep their bat in the lineup? Does Breslow make a run at former Boston DH J.D. Martinez? An upgrade at second base is also needed.
In the end, what the Red Sox do will depend on how much leeway they give Breslow in terms of spending money. Boston might end up kicking the tires in the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes, but it’s very unlikely they outbid other teams for his services. This is setting up to be a fascinating offseason in Boston under a new GM.
New York Yankees
Every offseason in the Bronx is worth watching, but this one feels a little different after the 2023 season the Yankees had. Recently, GM Brian Cashman made a strange comment.
"I'm proud of our people, and I'm proud of our process," Cashman said. "Doesn't mean we're firing on all cylinders, doesn't mean we're the best in class, but I think we're pretty f---ing good, personally. I'm proud of our people, and I'm also looking forward to '24 being a better year than '23."
Last season, the offensive struggles were a big topic in the absence of Aaron Judge. They needed a left-handed bat at the trade deadline, didn’t address it, and considering the spot they were in, they didn’t need to. Cody Bellinger’s swing would be perfect for 81 games at Yankee Stadium with the short porch in right field.
Aside from Gerrit Cole, the starting rotation was inconsistent and a mess, and signing an arm in free agency should be near the top of Cashman’s list. As usual, it will be interesting to see how he builds depth on the Yankees roster.
I don’t think that the Yankees are a team that is missing just a few pieces to compete with the Orioles right now, nor are they a “pretty f---ing good.’’ There is a fair amount of work needed to be done this winter in the Bronx to get them back in the conversation in the American League.
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