Lincoln Zdunich
Toronto Blue Jays
- C Alejandro Kirk
- 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
- 2B Ernie Clement
- SS Andrés Giménez
- 3B Kazuma Okamoto
- OF Jesús Sánchez
- OF Daulton Varsho
- OF Addison Barger
- DH George Springer
After losing the World Series (by mere inches) to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Blue Jays were not content to just “run it back.” Last offseason, they extended superstar Vladdy Jr. to keep him in Toronto for the rest of his career.
Despite losing second baseman Bo Bichette to free agency, they were in on the Kyle Tucker sweepstakes, signed one of the bigger international free agents in Okamoto, and traded top prospect Joey Loperfido for Sánchez to play outfield.
The Jays have a hunger to get back to the Fall Classic after coming so close to winning it all, and they have certainly made the right moves to repeat as the American League pennant winner.
New York Yankees
- C Austin Wells
- 1B Ben Rice
- 2B Jazz Chisholm Jr.
- SS Anthony Volpe
- 3B Ryan McMahon
- OF Cody Bellinger
- OF Trent Grisham
- OF Aaron Judge
- DH Giancarlo Stanton
New York, on the other hand, is content to run it back. That’s a little minimalistic for a team that will see ace Gerrit Cole return from injury. But on the offensive side not much has changed.
Perennial MVP Aaron Judge and Stanton will surely slug a ton of home runs (like always). Chisholm Jr. is seeking to go 50-50 for the second time in MLB history. And the Yanks did a good job of retaining free agent Cody Bellinger in spite of prolonged talks this offseason of him departing.
Whether they attain all those goals or not, this is a club that won 94 games last season and is seeking a return to the Fall Classic after falling to Los Angeles in 2024. They certainly seem poised to make a run for it.
Boston Red Sox
- C Carlos Narvaez
- 1B Willson Contreras
- 2B Marcelo Mayer
- SS Trevor Story
- 3B Caleb Durbin
- OF Jarren Duran
- OF Cedanne Rafaela
- OF Roman Anthony
- DH Wilyer Abreu
To say the Sox had an active offseason would be to sell General Manager Craig Breslow a little short. After securing a postseason berth in 2025, they fell to the rival Yankees in a three-game Wild Card series.
Their only major departure from the starting group is Alex Bregman who will be supplanted by NL Rookie of the Year finalist Durbin at third base. The crowded outfield will make the lineup math difficult (especially for outfielder Masataka Yoshida). But that is arguably the Sox greatest strength with Duran, Rafaela, Anthony, and Abreu being some of the best outfielders in the game.
Beyond that the Red Sox are excited to see a full healthy season from Story at shortstop, as well as Contreras starting over Triston Casas at first. The offense of this club looks more robust than it’s been in recent years, and (in as competitive a division as this one) they’ll need all the help they can get.
Baltimore Orioles
- C Adley Rutschman
- 1B Pete Alonso
- 2B Blaze Alexander
- SS Gunnar Henderson
- 3B Coby Mayo
- OF Taylor Ward
- OF Colton Cowser
- OF Dylan Beavers
- DH Tyler O’Neill
Last season was a major disappointment for Baltimore, with the club finishing last in the AL East after making the postseason in both 2023 and ’24. That led to manager Brandon Hyde being fired halfway through the 2025 season.
The O’s went into the offseason needing to prove something to their fans, and they did. They traded pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez to the Los Angeles Angels for outfielder Taylor Ward. Then they signed top free agent Pete Alonso to man the cold corner. They ended their lineup moves by trading for Alexander to play second while Jackson Holliday deals with an injury.
They’ve had fantastic young players come up (Henderson, Rutschman, Cowser, Beavers), but they had disappointing and inconsistent results last season. If they can put it all together again, and the pitching holds, then they’ll run the AL East table once again.
Tampa Bay Rays
- C Nick Fortes
- 1B Jonathan Aranda
- 2B Gavin Lux
- SS Taylor Walls
- 3B Junior Caminero
- OF Jake Fraley
- OF Cedric Mullins
- OF Chandler Simpson
- DH Yandy Díaz
With All Star third basemen Junior Caminero returning after an electric World Baseball Classic with the Dominican Republic thus far, the Rays have their star slugger. But behind him there’s not a whole lot of help.
They traded for Lux to play second after giving up Brandon Lowe to the Pittsburgh Pirates, and they signed Mullins to help in their outfield. Speedster Chandler Simpson will return to the club after wowing MLB with his ability to run around the diamond, and Yandy Díaz offers a supportive veteran presence to the club.
Don’t get your hopes up for a Rays postseason run too quickly just because they’re back at Tropicana Field. But, at minimum, there is hope for the near-future.
