James Brown's dance moves. Your throat when talking to the prettiest girl in school. The 2013 AL East. What do they all have in common? They're tight bro...real tight. Top to bottom, this might be the closest division race in the show. They all have a shot. The Red Sox have reloaded, the Yankees are always in the chase, the Rays pulled off a mega-prospect trade, the Jays have made a lot of underrated moves, and the O's were a playoff team last year even missing Markakis for a large chunk of the season.
The Sox and Yanks have ended up in strikingly similar positions. They each have their superstars (Cano, Pedroia, Tex, Ellsbury, CC, Lester...), but they've filled out their rosters this offseason with veterans. And not those "its feels like he's been in the show forever but he's still only 28" veterans. No. We're talking about the ever dangerous "35 isn't THAT old for a ball player" type of vets. Only time will tell what each team will get from the likes of Youkilis, Victorino, Dempster, Pettitte, Ross, and Kuroda. It will be a HUGE boost to their respective teams if any of those guys can find the fountain of youth this year.
And is it just me, or does it seem like the Rays never want to bank too much on one season? Just when it feels like they're one or two good pieces away from being the absolute division favorites, they trade Shields and Davis away for some prospects. Now, all reports are that these are are two TOP prospects, but still, lets not kid ourselves. Shields and Davis have proven they can compete on the biggest stage. All that being said...I still like the trade haha! It feels like the Rays just try to stay competitive every year until that moment arrives when they can capture lightning in a bottle and make a push for that Ship, and this might be as open a year as any.
The O's have a young stable of pitchers and a young core that now knows what it feels like and what it takes to play a full season and play in October. Buck Showalter is a fantastic manager that has as good a feel for the pulse of his team as any manager in the Bigs. The addition of Nate McLouth should add depth and perhaps even put that Outfield among the best in the Majors. I got nothin' but love for these birds. This was a playoff team a year ago and I fully expect them to be legitimate contenders again this year.
The Blue Jays are gonna be the "Wild Card" team in the division. They have the talent and potential to win 100, but it wouldn't totally surprise me if they lost 100. Lets just pencil Bautista in for another 40 round trips this year, but aside from that they have a lot of questions. Was Dickey a flash in the pan or can he keep it up at 38? Can Josh Johnson return to Ace form? Can Encarnacion get anywhere close to last year's career highs? Can Melky produce at an All-Star level without any asterisk juice? The answers to those questions will define the Jays' season. If they are positive results, watch out. But if things start falling apart, it could get ugly.
2013 AL East Prediction: This race is gonna be tight and its gonna be tight all year. That means these guys are gonna feel the heat and tempers are gonna flare. There's gonna be some Super Smash Bros. Brawl goin down. Im putting the under/over for really good, bench clearing, suspension inducing, brawls involving AL East teams at 6 for the year...and i'm taking the over!
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