Toronto Blue Jays
2025 record 94-68 (1st place, AL East)
He gone: SS Bo Bichette, RHP Chris Bassitt, RHP Seranthony Dominguez, 1B Ty France, INF Isiah Kiner-Falefa
New faces: RHP Dylan Cease, 3B Kazuma Okamoto, RHP Tyler Rogers, RHP Cody Ponce, RHP Chase Lee
Biggest question entering Opening Day: How can Toronto build off its best season in over 30 years? The Blue Jays came one win shy of their first championship in 32 years, losing Game 7 of the World Series at home to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Salt was then poured in the wound when top free-agent outfielder Kyle Tucker signed with Los Angeles over heavy interest from Toronto. Still, the Blue Jays spent quite a bit in free agency, giving Dylan Cease the largest free-agent contract in franchise history (seven years, $210 million). Pair him with returning veterans Shane Bieber and Max Scherzer as well as another free-agent signing in Cody Ponce, who found impressive form in South Korea, and Japanese signee Kazuma Okamoto and the Blue Jays are clearly trying to spend their way into continued contention.
2026 Outlook: Through the heartbreak of last season, Toronto doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Between a rotation that appears likely to be among the best in the majors and returning offensive stars in Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer with a new slugger in Okamoto, it wouldn’t be remotely surprising if the Blue Jays repeat as AL East champs.
New York Yankees
2025 record 94-68 (2nd place, AL East)
He gone: RHP Devin Williams, RHP Luke Weaver, RHP Jonathan Loaisiga
New faces: LHP Ryan Weathers, INF Max Schuemann
Biggest question entering Opening Day: Will the decision to run it back with minimal newcomers pay off? New York certainly could have paid up to add any number of prominent free-agent names to its rotation or lineup. Instead, the Yankees spent their available money to re-sign players who were on their 2025 roster. They inked Cody Bellinger to a five-year, $162.5 million contract and extended a qualifying offer to Trent Grisham after both opted out of their contracts. They also re-signed Ryan Yarbrough, Amed Rosario and Paul Blackburn, electing to basically enter 2026 with their 2025 roster, with the hope for better injury luck. But it feels entirely possible that the Yankees are once again sitting in second place in August and wishing they had pursued that outside top free-agent arm or bat to push their roster over the top.
2026 Outlook: Any team that has three-time American League MVP Aaron Judge is going to have a good chance of being competitive. And considering the Yankees lost the AL East on a tiebreaker last season despite getting zero starts from ace Gerrit Cole, they should be right back in the mix this season as he returns from Tommy John surgery.
Boston Red Sox
2025 record 89-73 (3rd place, AL East)
He gone: 3B Alex Bregman, RHP Lucas Giolito, RHP Hunter Dobbins
New faces: LHP Ranger Suarez, 1B Willson Contreras, RHP Sonny Gray, RHP Johan Oviedo, 3B Caleb Durbin, INF Isiah Kiner-Falefa
Biggest question entering Opening Day: Did the Red Sox make the right moves to compete in a crowded AL East? Boston took a step forward in 2025, jumping from .500 to a wild-card berth five games back of the Blue Jays and Yankees. They followed that up with a splashy offseason in which they added a pair of established starting pitchers in Ranger Suarez (five years, $130 million) and the aging Sonny Gray. The Red Sox did lose Alex Bregman just one season into his three-year deal and didn’t land one of the top free-agent position players, but they brought in Caleb Durbin coming off a productive rookie season in Milwaukee to replace him and improved at first base by trading for Willson Contreras.
2026 Outlook: It’ll be hard to pull the AL East title away from Toronto or New York. But with some sizable offseason moves — especially to bolster the rotation — and some budding stars like World Baseball Classic standout Roman Anthony, who is getting some MVP buzz at 21 years old, the Red Sox appear talented enough to contend if things break right.
Tampa Bay Rays
2025 record 77-85 (4th place, AL East)
He gone: 2B Brandon Lowe, RHP Shane Baz, OF Josh Lowe, RHP Pete Fairbanks
New faces: OF Cedric Mullins, 2B/OF Gavin Lux, RHP Nick Martinez, LHP Steven Matz, OF Jake Fraley
Biggest question entering Opening Day: What can Tampa Bay get from Shane McClanahan? In his first three major league seasons from 2021-23, McClanahan was exceptional on the mound, posting a 33-16 record and 3.02 ERA across 74 starts. But he hasn’t pitched in a regular-season game since August 2023, missing 2024 after undergoing Tommy John surgery and sitting out 2025 with a nerve injury in his left arm. He returned to the mound this spring and has looked good. A return to form for the southpaw ace feels like a requirement for the Rays to keep up in a brutally talented division as the team returns to Tropicana Field after playing elsewhere in the city last season due to damage caused by Hurricane Milton.
2026 Outlook: The Rays always are the team that does more with less in a division loaded with big spenders. That’s especially true now that Baltimore and Toronto really are opening up the checkbooks. This team, which shipped off roster mainstays in Brandon Lowe and Shane Baz to acquire prospects, doesn’t have the look of one that will contend this season.
Baltimore Orioles
2025 record: 75-87 (5th place, AL East)
He gone: RHP Grayson Rodriguez, RHP Tomoyuki Sugano
New faces: 1B Pete Alonso, RHP Chris Bassitt, RHP Shane Baz, OF Taylor Ward, RHP Ryan Helsley
Biggest question entering Opening Day: Will a roster rehaul restore Baltimore’s good vibes? The 2023 and ‘24 Orioles were a great story, rising from a rough stretch to put together the franchise’s first back-to-back 90-win seasons since the early 1980s. A disastrous 2025 season made Baltimore a surprise seller at the trade deadline and set the stage for an important offseason that the front office seemed to sense given the moves it made. Signing former Met Pete Alonso to a five-year, $155 million contract was a huge splash. Trading for Taylor Ward and Shane Baz and signing former Blue Jay Chris Bassitt also were high-upside moves. Will they be enough to help Baltimore rediscover its recent glory?
2026 Outlook: Alonso gives the Orioles some major pop (264 homers in the last seven seasons). Pairing him with a lineup full of young potential superstars including Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson means a return to form is very much on the table, especially if the top arms carry over the success they’ve had this spring. But the margin for error won’t be very big in the AL East.
–Field Level Media
