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March 16, 2008

Is A.L. East A Four Team Race This Year & Going Foward?

Via Murray Chass:

The Yankees have finished first or second for 14 successive seasons. The Red Sox had eight successive second-place finishes, then tumbled to third in 2006. They rebounded into first last season, finishing two games ahead of the Yankees.

So what will happen this season? Will the AL East produce the wild card? Or will it come from the Central, the Tigers or the Indians; or maybe the West, the Angels or the Mariners?

But is it possible that neither the Yankees nor the Red Sox will finish second? That neither will finish first? Can the Blue Jays keep one or both teams from the playoffs? And is it remotely possible, as unlikely as it seems, that the Rays can challenge for the division's runner-up spot?

"If anyone takes the Blue Jays and the Rays lightly, they're out of their mind," Bill Bavasi, the Mariners' general manager, said. "You have to understand these are teams that are going to win. You have to watch out for Toronto, watch out for Tampa Bay. Tampa Bay is really loaded with talent. Toronto could win outright."

Hey, none of this would be a shocker. You heard it all here, first:

January 14, 2008: "Me? I guess I would have to say, now, that I would not be shocked if the Yankees finished third [behind Boston and Toronto] this year – I can see their bullpen and the question marks in their rotation being a potential downfall."

January 23, 2008: "It's an interesting thought: That the teams who Yankees might have to worry about this season are the Indians and Mariners (in a fight for the Wildcard). This assumes that the Red Sox, Tigers and Angels will be as good as people say they will be in 2008."

February 19, 2008: "Some time around 2009 or 2010, there's a chance that this [Tampa Bay Rays'] talent could gel into a contending team. What happens if this comes true in 2009 - as the Yankees continue to get older next year? What happens if the Tampa Bay Rays finish higher than the Yankees in the standings during the first year of the new Yankee Stadium?"

It's a whole new world in the A.L. East these days. Those 57 games that the Yankees have to play against Boston, Toronto, and Tampa are going to be tough. Think about that - it's one-third of their schedule. New York better be up for it.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at March 16, 2008 09:07 AM

Comments

Posted by: Josh at March 17, 2008 11:05 AM