We’re back! And with opening day less than two weeks away the monks will spend the next 6 days breaking down each division in baseball, starting today with the American League East. Enjoy and feel free to tell us what you think and to add your predictions…

Nick:

1. Boston Red Sox
2. New York Yankees*
3. Toronto Blue Jays
4. Tampa Bay Rays
5. Baltimore Orioles

I think the big additions of Gonzalez and Crawford (and with Bobby Jenks in the bullpen) gives the edge to the Red Sox this year. The big question is the health of their rotation, but with the pitching problems the Yankees seem to have, the Red Sox will win this two-horse race while the Yankees are my AL Wild Card pick. Tampa is going to take a big hit this year with their off-season losses and the O’s are years away from relevance. The one sleeper could be the Blue Jays, but Bautista will have to perform close to what he did last year and their pitching will have to be top-notch, if not better.

Josh:

1. Boston Red Sox
2. New York Yankees
3. Baltimore Orioles
4. Tampa Bay Rays
5. Toronto Blue Jays

This is a hard division to pick mainly because all the teams are decent.  I think the Red Sox are the class of the division, but I wouldn’t be shocked if the Yankees won it. I think the surprise in this division will be the Orioles. Buck Showalter is a great manager and they have a decent lineup. I don’t think they will challenge for the East title, but I do think they will be a crappy team to play down the stretch. Boston plays 6 out of its last 10 games against the Orange Birds which could be interesting.

Jon

1. New York Yankees
2. Boston Red Sox*
3. Toronto Blue Jays
4. Tampa Bay Rays
5. Baltimore Orioles

Ok, I’m not taking the stereotypical road in these predictions. The Red Sox can be good…real good. With the addition of Crawford and Gonzalez, they are strong, but I don’t believe their pitching will hold up to fend off the Yanks. The Red Sox will win the Wild Card, but the Yanks will take the division. The Rays lost Crawford and Pena, their pitching is lacking and they are headed in the wrong direction. The Blue Jays showed signs of what is to come in 2010. They may offer more than the rest of the AL east bargained for.  The Orioles, well they remain the Orioles.

Steve

1. Boston Red Sox
2. Tampa Bay Rays*
3. New York Yankees
4. Toronto Blue Jays
5. Baltimore Orioles

So, as my fellow monks have pointed out, this is tough division. I think the top four teams will all finish with + .500 records. The Red Sox will pummel everyone into submission with that high-octane offense, but I think they will find their pitching is lacking when they get to the postseason. The real shocker here is the Rays. Not only do they finish second, I think they will be the wild card winner as well. They did lose some important pieces but they also have a number of players primed for big years and strong starting pitching. It is a talented team and I think they make the playoffs for the third time in four years. Bottom line: there is a lot of talent in this division!