One Move For Every AL East Team

New York Yankees

The Yankees are coming off a loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2024 World Series, with aspirations of going back in 2025 with a different result. Unfortunately they have already lost superstar Juan Soto and closer turned setup man Clay Holmes to their crosstown rivals the Mets. The team kicked off the post-Soto era by signing Cy Young candidate Max Fried to an eight year megadeal that will bolster an already strong starting rotation. Obviously there is still a major need for an impact bat to slot into the hole filled by the departure of Juan Soto, and the Yankees are likely to make a serious push to sign the best player available. That player is currently former Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker. While Walker would not replace Soto’s production entirely, he would provide All-Star caliber offense and Gold Glove level defense at a position of need. Though he is somewhat of a risk at 33 years old and coming off a year where an oblique injury sidelined him for the entire month of August, he is still one of the best in the league at his position and would be a massive upgrade over Anthony Rizzo both offensively and defensively.

Baltimore Orioles

As it stands there is no team in the MLB with a bigger window than the Baltimore Orioles. The team is currently anchored by a plethora of young talent, with top 20 prospects Colby Mayo and Samuel Basallo ready to make the leap to the majors full time in 2025. Baltimore has already inked Tyler O’Neil to a multi-year deal which likely slots him in as the team’s everyday right fielder. The goal for the remainder of the offseason will be improving starting pitching due to the departure of John Means and Corbin Burnes, who is likely to jump ship in favor of a divisional rival. With plenty of years of contention ahead the Orioles could take a risk and extend an offer to Walker Buehler. After a rough year coming off of Tommy John surgery, Buehler would be smart to take a short term contract and prove that he can return to his 2021 form where he was one of the top pitchers in the MLB. In his five seasons he has twice been selected as an All-Star and finished in the top ten of Cy Young voting in both of those years. At 30 years old he is now a veteran and knows the clock is ticking on his ability to sign a lucrative contract, and the Baltimore Orioles could provide an opportunity to audition for just that.

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox finished the 2024 season with a perfectly mediocre record of 81-81 and missed out on a wild card spot by five games. While this was a disappointment to Red Sox fans who expect to make the playoffs every year, the team should have plenty of optimism for 2025. While Rafael Devers is the focal point of the offense, he had a good deal of support from up and coming stars like Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu. Boston has already missed out on top tier free target Juan Soto, but reports are surfacing that a deal with Corbin Burnes is close to being completed. This team is in desperate need of a true Ace at the top of the rotation and few pitchers in the league are on the level of Corbin Burnes. He is coming off an outstanding season with division rival Baltimore where he won 15 games to the tune of a 2.92 ERA and made his fourth consecutive All-Star team. The Red Sox are eyeing a division title in the coming season and have plenty of competition in a very difficult AL East, though the addition of Burnes would put them firmly in the mix.

Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays are in a very difficult situation this offseason. Not only is the team currently without a permanent home after Hurricane Milton destroyed Tropicana Field, but there is also very little hope of contending in the coming season with the division looking like one of the deepest in baseball. The Rays have always been a team that relies on a constant stream of strong prospects replacing players that the team elects to trade before reaching free agency, though few of the teams top prospects are ready to make the jump to the big league level in 2025. One area of strength for the team could be the rotation as a number of starters, including Shane McClanahan, return from injury. Tampa Bay could afford to move one of their mid-tier starters such as Zach Littell or Jeffery Springs in exchange for a handful of prospects. With Xavier Issac and Carson Williams likely to make their MLB debut in 2026 the team could use this offseason to hasten what will already be a short rebuild.

Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays were a disappointment in 2024, finishing in last place in the AL East with a record of 74-88. The team is clearly built around first baseman Vladimir Guererro Jr. who is coming off of an outstanding season. Unfortunately there is not much around him offensively with the team finishing 23rd in home runs and 26th in runs scored last season. On top of this, the bullpen was next to last in ERA, meaning there are far too many holes to fill in one offseason. The team made a serious push to sign Juan Soto and reportedly made a very lucrative offer to the young superstar. After missing out on this offseason’s biggest prize it would be wise for the team to make a push to load up on prospects and make a push to contend two or three years down the road. The farm system is currently ranked near the bottom of the MLB and a handful of top prospects are currently rehabbing serious injuries. The team is unlikely to move either Bo Bichette or Guererro, but an aging George Springer would likely still have value on the trade market for contending teams in need of outfield depth. Additionally, 30 year old Jose Berrios is coming off a strong campaign, and with two years left on his contract would be extremely attractive to virtually every team in the league who misses out on the elite starting pitchers in free agency.

John Siebels is the owner of Springhill Sports Cards, he collects and sells sports cards on Ebay, you can find him on Instagram and his Ebay store here