AL East Report 5-20-13

The American League East has always had its share of headlines. It is home to the mega-rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees, with 34 World Series title between the two squads. They two teams have records of 27-17 and 27-16, respectively. But, the AL East is now known more for its competition than its two big-name teams. The Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles, and Tampa Bay Rays have made a name for themselves and look to be real contenders in the coming years.

The long-time AL East whipping boy Baltimore Orioles currently have a 23-20 record and are riding the wave of a surprising 2012 playoff run. They finished the regular season in second place in the AL East with a record of 93-69, reversing the 69-93 record from the previous year and winning the first Wild Card spot of the American League. It was their first postseason appearance since 1997.

The Toronto Blue Jays are struggling now, despite their big-name offseason acquisitions. Toronto blostered their pitching staff by signing reigning NL Cy Young Winner, knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, former Miami Marlins pitchers Josh Johnson & Mark Buehrle. They also improved their lineup by adding Marlins speedster Jose Reyes and Giants slugger Melky Cabrera. But, injuries and bad luck have plagued the Blue Jays this year, as they currently sit with a .395 winning percentage. They hope to bounce back in the second half of this season.

The Tampa Bay Rays have never been big in acquiring big names through free agency. They prefer the approach of developing a good farm system and bringing up players from that system to perform. This has been immensely successful for them, making it to the playoffs in 2008, 2010, & 2011, including a World Series appearance in 2008. They hope to improve on last year's playoff near-miss, as they get back slugger Evan Longoria, who missed most of last season due to injury.