Wild AL East Promises To Be Best Division In Baseball
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New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge waves to fans during a spring training baseball workout on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
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Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.During this two-week span, I’m taking a look at the Opening Day true-talent rankings of the 30 MLB clubs on a division-by-division basis. While the rankings are based on actual 2025 batted-ball data, off-season player movement and potential impact of 2026 rookies will be addressed. We’ve already covered the NL East, NL Central and NL West. Today, it’s the AL East.
1 - New York Yankees - ”Tru” Talent Record = 101-61 - Offensive Rating = 118.6 (1st), Pitching Rating = 93.1 (6th), Defensive Rating = 98.5 (13th) IN: LHP Ryan Weathers; OUT: RHP Devin Williams, RHP Mark Leiter, RHP Luke Weaver, RHP Ian Hamilton
The Yankees’ dominance actually flew a bit under the radar last season thanks to another so-so October. So a quiet offseason really shouldn’t be seen as that big a deal, but……there are real questions on the run prevention side. They’ll start the season without Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole in the rotation - I mean, I like Cam Schlittler, but the Yanks are counting on him as their #2 starter at present. Plus there are real questions from the middle to the back of their bullpen. The offense looks as good as ever, especially if Ben Rice is as good as I think he is. Of course, a healthy Aaron Judge is a must.
2 - Toronto Blue Jays - ”Tru” Talent Record = 89-73 - Offensive Rating = 112.3 (4th), Pitching Rating = 101.6 (21st), Defensive Rating = 99.8 (16th) IN: RHP Dylan Cease, RHP Tyler Rogers, 3B Kazuma Okamoto, LF Jesus Sanchez; OUT: RHP Seranthony Dominguez, SS Bo Bichette, UT Isiah Kiner-Falefa, RHP Chris Bassitt, LF Joey Loperfido
So close……the Blue Jays really deserved to win it all last season, but fell painfully short. They could have brooded through a run-it-back type of offseason, ignoring some pretty glaring holes on their roster, but instead they appear clearly improved. They saw through Cease’s unimpressive surface numbers and paid him like the ace he is. Okamoto has the type of skill set that tends to translate to MLB success. And Sanchez has always been a favorite of mine - he crushes the baseball, and should thrive in Toronto’s hitting laboratory. Losing Bichette hurts the lineup a bit, but the team defense should improve. I see the Yankees as vulnerable this season, and the Jays, Red Sox and/or Orioles could threaten them.
3 - Boston Red Sox - ”Tru” Talent Record = 89-73 - Offensive Rating = 101.9 (10th), Pitching Rating = 99.9 (18th), Defensive Rating = 92.2 (1st) IN: RHP Sonny Gray, RHP Johan Oviedo, 1B Willson Contreras, LHP Ranger Suarez, UT Isiah Kiner-Falefa, 3B Caleb Durbin, UT Andruw Monasterio; OUT: OF Jhostynxon Garcia, LHP Steven Matz, 2B Vaughn Grissom, RHP Dustin May, UT Rob Refsnyder, 3B Alex Bregman
There is a scenario in which the Red Sox could emerge as the premier team in the AL. Sure, they lose Bregman, but they add important pieces in Contreras, Durbin, Gray and Suarez, and none of them is the biggest needle-mover on the scene. That would be LF Roman Anthony, who could well emerge as an elite hitter in his first full MLB season. The team defense was the best in the game last year, and should be in the top tier again thanks to CF Ceddanne Rafaela, who’s one of the most valuable defenders in the game at any position. As with any club, health and depth will be crucial - key multipurpose backup Romy Gonzalez opens 2026 on the shelf.
4 - Tampa Bay Rays - ”Tru” Talent Record = 86-76 - Offensive Rating = 94.8 (25th), Pitching Rating = 93.2 (7th), Defensive Rating = 95.7 (6th) IN: RF Jake Fraley, CF Cedric Mullins, LHP Steven Matz, 2B Gavin Lux; OUT: RHP Adrian Houser, 1B Christopher Morel, RHP Shane Baz, 2B Brandon Lowe, LF Jake Mangum, RHP Pete Fairbanks, RF Josh Lowe
This team desperately needs a new stadium and some revenue streams. They’re great at building a respectable team on a budget, but can’t or don’t choose to take the next step. They’d fit perfectly in the NL Central - offensively challenged, with quality run prevention - but in the AL East, they’re drowned out by all of the big guns. Stealthy good Drew Rasmussen, a healthy Shane McClanahan and under-the-radar acquisition Nick Martinez are part of a strong rotation, but did they really have to move Baz and Taj Bradley within the last calenday year? 3B Junior Caminero is a budding superstar, but their starting outfield of Mullins, Fraley and Chandler Simpson just might be the least powerful group of starting MLB flychasers in recent memory.
5 - Baltimore Orioles - ”Tru” Talent Record = 70-92 - Offensive Rating = 96.9 (19th), Pitching Rating = 107.0 (26th), Defensive Rating = 103.9 (25th) IN: CF Leody Taveras, RHP Andrew Kittredge, LF Taylor Ward, RHP Ryan Helsley, 1B Pete Alonso, RHP Shane Baz, 2B Blaze Alexander, RHP Chris Bassitt; OUT: RHP Grayson Rodriguez, DH Gary Sanchez, RHP Tomoyuki Sugano
2025 was a disaster in Baltimore, but I have to hand it to their front office - they made a lot of big and little moves that should return them to contender status in 2026. The pitching staff was a disaster, but the additions of Baz and Bassitt along with the departure of Sugano gives them a chance to be league average in that department (the deal of Rodriguez to the Angels is a risk, but he netted them the reliable Ward). Helsley helps them in their effort to weather Felix Bautista’s latest major injury. And while Alonso is a pretty one-dimensional player, he’s gotten markedly better at that dimension in the last season plus, using the field better without sacrificing power. Maybe there’s too much change here to expect them to win this mega-division, but they should at least be in the playoff mix.