AL East Power Rankings and Preview for 2025

Each year, the AL East division rolls out some of the strongest teams in all of Major League Baseball. Yet, it’s been seven years since one of the division’s teams brought home a World Series trophy.

That was the Boston Red Sox seven years ago who won it all, their ninth championship in franchise history. Coincidentally, it was their biggest rival who came close to breaking the division’s title-less streak.

The New York Yankees turned a 94-win season into a World Series appearance in 2024. Sadly, they were dispatched in five games by the eventual champion Dodgers, preventing New York from adding their 28th title in team history.

As 2025 arrives, the AL East expects to be a brutal gauntlet once again. In fact, FanGraphs projects just a four-win difference from the top of the division to the bottom, with every team projected to finish over .500.

And that shouldn’t be a surprise. The Yankees should be a force again, as should the Baltimore Orioles whose youth movement continues to propel them to success. The Red Sox invested a lot in their roster and have a great chance to join them.

The Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays each broke playoff streaks in 2024. But both teams have a talented, young core that could allow them the chance to bounce back this season.

With Opening Day just a few days away, it is the perfect time to preview the division for the upcoming season. Here is our power ranking of the AL East division for 2025.

5. Toronto Blue Jays

2024 Record: 74-88, Finished 5th in the AL East

Projected Opening Day Starting Lineup

Lineup vs. RHP/LHP

1. Bo Bichette, SS

2. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B

3. Anthony Santander, LF

4. George Springer, RF

5. Alejandro Kirk, C

6. Andrés Giménez, 2B

7. Will Wagner/Davis Schneider, DH

8. Ernie Clement, 3B

9. Nathan Lukes/Myles Straw, CF

Notable IL: CF Daulton Varsho

After finishing in the middle of the MLB pack in run production in 2023, the Toronto offense took a step further back last year, finishing 23rd in MLB at 4.14 runs per game. Looking at individual player production, it’s not hard to see why.

Only four Blue Jays players finished with an OPS+ above 100 (league average) in 2024. And of those four, only perennial MVP candidate Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is still with the team.

So, the Jays will be relying on bounce-back offensive seasons from a number of players such as leadoff hitter Bo Bichette, outfielder George Springer, and catcher Alejandro Kirk, players who have a history of strong offensive seasons in the past.

They’ll be supported by the team’s biggest offseason signing: outfielder Anthony Santander. The 30-year-old was the epitome of run production in his career year last year, setting career highs with 44 homers, 102 RBIs, and 91 runs scored.

Toronto also made a switch at second base, sending out Spencer Horwitz and bringing in Andrés Giménez. And while that might result in a slight downgrade in offense, the team will surely welcome his 59 DRS and 49 OAA over the last three years alone.

Outside of an expectation for improved offense, the other thing hanging above this group’s head is the impending free agency of Bichette and Guerrero. Perhaps contract years will result in huge offensive seasons for the pair, which would at least be a short-term win for Toronto.

Notable Depth/Bench

INF Will Wagner, INF Orelvis Martinez, INF/OF Davis Schneider

With two big parts of the offense potentially set to hit free agency after the season, now would be a great time for some young players to show they can be a part of the next generation. The Blue Jays have two guys with the ability to do just that.

Will Wagner, a top 10 prospect for Toronto, did well in his brief 2024 MLB debut, slashing .305/.337/.451 in 86 plate appearances. He primarily played at second last year but has also played at both corners in the minors.

Meanwhile, Orelvis Martinez, a top-five prospect for the team, has only played one game in the majors so far but has a career .834 OPS and 110 homers in his five minor league seasons. He should get more chances this year to show whether his power can carry over to the majors.

Projected Starting Rotation

Rotation Depth Chart on Opening Day

1. Kevin Gausman

2. José Berríos

3. Chris Bassitt

4. Max Scherzer

5. Bowden Francis

Notable IL: RHP Angel Bastardo, RHP Alek Manoah

Just like in the starting lineup, the Blue Jays are largely running it back with their starting rotation as well. That starts at the top with the 1-2 punch of Kevin Gausman and José Berríos, who combined for 30 of the pitching staff’s 74 wins in 2024.

Following them is Chris Bassitt, who was a league-average starter last season but still had his worst year since 2016 on the back of a 4.16 ERA and 1.462 WHIP.

On an opposite note, one big bright spot in last season’s rotation returns too, in 28-year-old Bowden Francis. He was good in his 27 appearances but particularly great as a starter, with a 2.92 ERA, 0.753 WHIP, and .166 batting average against in 13 starts, most coming in the final two months of the year.

To replace some of the poorer rotation performance, the Blue Jays brought in 17-year MLB vet and three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer. Though he only managed nine starts last year due to injury, he was still solid at his advanced age, going 2-4 with a 3.95 ERA and 1.154 WHIP.

Projected Bullpen

Bullpen Depth

1. Jeff Hoffman

2. Chad Green

3. Yimi García

4. Nick Sandlin

5. Brendon Little

6. Yariel Rodríguez

7. Richard Lovelady

Notable IL: RHP Ryan Burr, RHP Erik Swanson, RHP Zach Pop

Besides improving their offense, the Blue Jays also had a goal of improving a bullpen that finished second to last in MLB with a 4.82 group ERA. They did that in a big way by bringing in one of the top relievers on the market.

2024 All-Star Jeff Hoffman slots in as the team’s new closer and joins last year’s main closer Chad Green to form a strong tandem at the back of the bullpen. Brendon Little and Zach Pop (15-day IL, elbow inflammation), who combined for over 100 appearances last year, return as well.

Yimi García, who had a 2.70 ERA before being traded to Seattle at the deadline, also comes back after being re-signed in the offseason. If the middle relievers can be better in combination with this group, the Toronto bullpen should be able to climb out of the league’s cellar.

Outlook

Last year, a lot went wrong for the Blue Jays, leading to a last-place division finish. Toronto absolutely has the talent to go back to being a playoff contender, but only if they overcome a lot of “ifs.”

“If” the position players bounce back on offense. “If” young players take a step forward. “If” the bullpen improves over last year. A lot has to go right for the Jays in 2025 to get back on the horse, but it’s certainly not an impossibility.

4. Tampa Bay Rays

2024 Record: 80-82, Finished 4th in the AL East

Projected Opening Day Starting Lineup

Lineup vs. RHP/LHP

1. Yandy Díaz, 1B

2. Brandon Lowe, 2B

3. Junior Caminero, 3B

4. Josh Lowe, RF

5. Danny Jansen, C

6. Jonathan Aranda/Curtis Mead, DH

7. Christopher Morel, LF

8. Jonny DeLuca, CF

9. Taylor Walls, SS

Notable IL: INF Ha-Seong Kim

Even worse than the Blue Jays in offense last year were the Tampa Bay Rays. The 2024 squad put up just 3.73 runs per game, good for second to last in MLB, right above the lowly White Sox.

The Rays don’t need quite as many players to have bounce-back seasons like Toronto, however, as they still have hitters like leadoff man Yandy Díaz, second baseman Brandon Lowe, and DH Jonathan Aranda who all finished with an OPS+ north of 100, while outfielder Josh Lowe hit it almost on the dot (98).

They also are looking forward to a full season of slugger Junior Caminero. Even at 20 years old and with an OBP of just .299, the youngster still managed an OPS+ of 109 on the back of nine doubles and six homers in 43 games.

Tampa also made some additions to address the offense. Danny Jansen steps in to help a catching crew that put up minimal offensive production in 2024. Ha-Seong Kim will start the season on the IL but will be another upgrade on offense in addition to his Gold Glove defense.

There will still need to be improvements. Christopher Morel (.191/.258/.289 in 49 games) and Jonny DeLuca (.217/.278/.331 in 107 games) need to be significantly better considering how many games they are expected to play.

Notable Depth/Bench

OF José Caballero, SS Carson Williams

Last year, utility infielder José Caballero played in the second most games on the team behind only Díaz. A majority of those games came at shortstop, though he played plenty at second and third.

He will likely fill in at multiple positions again, though perhaps for not as many games with Caminero and eventually Kim likely taking a majority of the playing time on the left side of the infield. That may be for the best since Caballero has a career .643 OPS in 243 games.

What fans will really be awaiting, though, is the arrival of top prospect Carson Williams. The 16th-ranked prospect in the Just Baseball Top 100 has a career .256/.353/.478 slash line in the minors and could very reasonably make his MLB debut this season.

Projected Starting Rotation

Rotation Depth Chart on Opening Day

1. Ryan Pepiot

2. Taj Bradley

3. Drew Rasmussen

4. Zack Littell

5. Shane Baz

Notable IL: LHP Shane McClanahan

Every year the Rays end up with one of the top starting rotations in the league. Opposing hitters will be unhappy to learn that this will once again be the case in 2025.

Opening Day should’ve been a cause for celebration as ace Shane McClanahan returned to the mound. The two-time All-Star and 2022 Cy Young candidate was looking to return from Tommy John surgery that kept him out for all of 2024 and part of 2023 as well.

Unfortunately, with less than a week to go before Opening Day, McClanahan exited his last spring training game early with a triceps injury. It’s currently unknown what his timeframe to return will be.

So instead, Ryan Pepiot will toe the rubber for the Rays’ first game of the season. He was great in his first season for Tampa Bay after being acquired from the Dodgers via trade, going 8-8 with a 3.60 ERA and 1.154 WHIP in 26 starts.

Two other 2024 rotation mainstays return as well. Taj Bradley and Zack Littell, who combined for 54 starts and had ERAs of 4.11 or less for the 2024 season, are back, with the latter potentially auditioning for other teams in a contract year.

Shane Baz (3.06 ERA in 14 starts) and Drew Rasmussen (2.83 ERA in 28.2 IP) round out the rotation as starters who could easily be higher in most other teams’ pecking orders. As usual, health will be the main risk to this group reaching its full potential.

Projected Bullpen

Bullpen Depth

1. Pete Fairbanks

2. Edwin Uceta

3. Garrett Cleavinger

4. Manuel Rodríguez

5. Mason Montgomery

6. Kevin Kelly

7. Mason Englert

Notable IL: RHP Alex Faedo, LHP Nate Lavender

Like the rotation, the Rays bullpen was equally competent in comparison to other units across the league last year. And like the rotation, many familiar names return for the 2025 season.

Pete Fairbanks returns for his third season as Tampa Bay’s closer. He has a 3.03 ERA in six seasons with the Rays and has accumulated 48 saves for them over the past two seasons. He’ll be set up by Edwin Uceta, who emerged as a weapon in the second half of 2024 and had a 1.51 ERA in 30 games.

Among the names to watch in the bullpen is 2021 sixth-rounder Mason Montgomery. The 24-year-old was impressive after debuting last year, giving up two runs in 9.2 innings and striking out a whopping 17 of the 37 batters that he faced.

Outlook

Offensively, the Rays find themselves in a similar position to the Blue Jays, needing to bounce back from a dismal 2024. And though Tampa had an even worse output last year, they seem to have just as much potential to improve.

The difference between the two is that the Rays were much farther ahead on the pitching side of things and figure to be even better this year. That’s why they should be able to, at the very least, finish ahead of the Jays for a second straight season.

3. New York Yankees

2024 Record: 94-68, Finished 1st in the AL East

Projected Opening Day Starting Lineup

Lineup vs. RHP/LHP

1. Austin Wells, C

2. Aaron Judge, RF

3. Cody Bellinger, CF

4. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B

5. Jazz Chisholm Jr., 2B

6. Anthony Volpe, SS

7. Jasson Domínguez, LF

8. Ben Rice/Oswald Peraza, DH

9. Oswaldo Cabrera, 3B

Notable IL: DH Giancarlo Stanton, INF DJ LeMahieu

At 5.01 runs per game (third in MLB), the Yankees had one of the most potent offenses in all of baseball in 2024. And while the Bronx Bombers lost a bunch of that production in the offseason, they also replaced a portion of it in the process.

Gone are outfielders Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo as well as infielders Gleyber Torres and Anthony Rizzo. That’s a combined 97 doubles, 77 homers, 268 RBIs, and 320 runs scored.

Added are two former NL MVPs in Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt. The former had an average 2024 season by his standards with a .266 average, 18 homers, and 78 RBIs, while the latter had more of a down season, hitting .245 with a .716 OPS.

What matters most is who the Yankees have returning: Aaron Judge, the reigning AL MVP who had 58 homers and a career-high 144 RBIs last season. He also became the newest member of the 300 homer club in 2024.

New York also has Jazz Chisholm Jr., who was excellent after arriving in town at last year’s trade deadline. He batted .273 with a .825 OPS and 18 steals in 20 attempts over 46 games.

One big wild card for the offense this year will be whether top prospect Jasson Domínguez emerges as a force. With a career .816 OPS in 353 minor league games, he has nothing left to prove in the minors and should finally get regular playing time in 2025.

His emergence would be very ideal as it could help offset two potential losses on offense. DH Giancarlo Stanton has elbow issues that are threatening his season, and INF DJ LeMahieu has also become injury-prone.

Notable Depth/Bench

OF Trent Grisham, C/1B J.C. Escarra

The offensive depth for New York drops pretty sharply once you get past the starting lineup. But the Yankees still have some bench pieces that can cover a number of positions if needed.

For the second straight year, the Yankees will get outfield backup from Trent Grisham. He won’t provide a ton with the bat, as he’s had a sub-.200 average and sub-.700 OPS in each of the last three years, but he’s always sure to provide strong defense with a career 28 DRS and 38 OAA.

Projected Starting Rotation

Rotation Depth Chart on Opening Day

1. Carlos Rodón

2. Max Fried

3. Marcus Stroman

4. Will Warren

5. Carlos Carrasco

Notable IL: RHP Gerrit Cole, RHP Luis Gil, RHP JT Brubaker, RHP Clarke Schmidt

Coming into the spring, it looked like the Yankees would have some of the best rotation depth in all of MLB. Now less than a week away from Opening Day, that depth has already been seriously tested.

Ace Gerrit Cole, who will miss all of 2024 due to Tommy John surgery; Luis Gil, who is out for months; Clarke Schmidt; and JT Brubaker are all slated to start the year on the IL. The resulting effect on the rotation is huge.

Carlos Rodón shifts from the No. 3 slot to the Opening Day starter. Offseason signee Max Fried at least stays at the No. 2, but Marcus Stroman, who at one point was potentially going to start the season in the bullpen, follows that pair.

Then you have Will Warren, a top prospect who has all of six games of MLB experience and was likely to start the season at Triple-A. Projected to round out the group is now Carlos Carrasco, the 15-year MLB vet and non-roster invitee who wasn’t even guaranteed to make the team.

Only one member of that group, Fried, is projected for an ERA under 4.00 (per FanGraphs Depth Charts). Schmidt should hopefully be ready to go soon after the season starts, which will help, but any more hits to the rotation could make it extremely hard for the Yankees to get off to a strong start in 2025.

Projected Bullpen

Bullpen Depth

1. Devin Williams

2. Luke Weaver

3. Fernando Cruz

4. Tim Hill

5. Mark Leiter Jr.

6. Yoendrys Gómez

7. Yerry De Los Santos

8. Brent Headrick

Notable IL: RHP Ian Hamilton, RHP Jake Cousins, RHP Scott Effross, RHP Jonathan Loáisiga

This offseason, the Yankees countered the loss of closer Clay Holmes, who finished fourth in the AL with 30 saves last year, by upgrading to an even better closer when they traded for former Brewers reliever Devin Williams.

New York had one of the best bullpens in the AL last year behind Holmes, and Williams will benefit from this as well. It starts with Luke Weaver, who had his 2025 contract option exercised after a strong season that saw him put up a 2.89 ERA in 62 outings.

Outside of Fernando Cruz, who was acquired from the Reds via trade in December, the rest of the top arms in the bullpen are familiar Yankees faces from last year. That continuing chemistry should result in another strong bullpen performance this season.

Outlook

For a team coming off of a World Series appearance, it’s hard to tell whether the Yankees can repeat last year’s success. The offense seems to have suffered more offseason losses than gains, while the rotation has already been devastated by injury.

Add to that the fact that New York plays in the brutal AL East. The Yankees still have plenty of talent, but just how far can the remaining talent take them?

2. Baltimore Orioles

2024 Record: 91-71, Finished 2nd in the AL East

Projected Opening Day Starting Lineup

Lineup vs. RHP/LHP

1. Colton Cowser, RF

2. Adley Rutschman, C

3. Cedric Mullins/Ramón Laureano, CF

4. Jordan Westburg, 2B

5. Tyler O’Neill, LF

6. Ryan O’Hearn/Gary Sánchez, DH

7. Ryan Mountcastle, 1B

8. Jackson Holiday, SS

9. Ramón Urías, 3B

Notable IL: SS Gunnar Henderson, UTIL Jorge Mateo

Last year, the Orioles finished tied for fourth in MLB in offensive production, right behind the Yankees, at 4.80 runs per game. It’s almost hard to believe that number wasn’t higher seeing as all nine O’s players who played at least 100 games finished with an OPS+ of 107 or higher.

Eight of those nine players return in 2025 with the only exception being the aforementioned Santander. But he was replaced by Tyler O’Neill, who had a bounceback season in 2024 with a .241/.336/.511 slash line, 18 doubles, 31 homers, and 61 RBIs.

O’Neill joins an offensive group that includes three All-Stars from last year: catcher Adley Rutschman and infielders Jordan Westburg and Gunnar Henderson. It also features the AL Rookie of the Year runner-up, outfielder Colton Cowser.

Even with last year’s overall success, two players will be looking to bounce back in 2025. Rutschman had a down season by his standards, setting career lows across the slash line with a .250 average, .318 OBP, and .391 slugging percentage.

The other is outfielder Cedric Mullins, whose .710 OPS, 16 doubles, and 54 RBIs were his lowest marks since becoming a regular starter in 2021. He also had his worst defensive metrics since then at -5 DRS and four OAA.

Among all players on the roster, though, the most pressure might be on former top prospect Jackson Holliday. He struggled in 60 games last year, slashing .189/.255/.311, but one must remember he was just 20 years old. An expected leap forward would make a potent offense even more dangerous.

Notable Depth/Bench

OF Heston Kjerstad, INF Coby Mayo

One member of the recent youth movement who hasn’t been mentioned yet is outfielder Heston Kjerstad. His career line since debuting has been a solid .253/.351/.411 with a 116 OPS+.

The problem is that he’s only garnered 147 plate appearances over the last two seasons. Austin Hays moving on in free agency might give him some more opportunities, but it might take an injury to get any significant playing time.

The same goes for current top prospect Coby Mayo. The corner infielder has little left to prove in the minors but was recently optioned ahead of Opening Day and expressed disappointment, though he didn’t do much in his first taste of MLB last year, going 4-for-41 with 22 strikeouts in 17 games.

Projected Starting Rotation

Rotation Depth Chart on Opening Day

1. Zach Eflin

2. Charlie Morton

3. Dean Kremer

4. Tomoyuki Sugano

5. Cade Povich

Notable IL: RHP Grayson Rodriguez, RHP Kyle Bradish, LHP Trevor Rogers, RHP Chayce McDermott, RHP Tyler Wells

In 2025, Baltimore unfortunately finds themselves having to move forward without last year’s ace, Corbin Burnes. That was always a possibility after the O’s acquired him from the Brewers ahead of his walk year, but it’s a loss that stings nonetheless.

And while much has been written about the hits to the Yankees’ rotation depth, the Orioles find themselves in a similar boat. That includes also being without their current ace to start the season.

However, Grayson Rodriguez, who battled injuries in 2024 as well, is only expected to have his season start delayed by a bit. Once back on the mound, he’ll look to pitch more than 122 innings in a season for the first time and keep improving on a career 4.11 ERA.

Toeing the mound in his place on Opening Day will be Zach Eflin, who was excellent after being acquired by Baltimore at last year’s deadline with a 2.60 ERA in nine starts.

Behind those two are a mixture of mediocre holdovers and offseason additions with questions. The two familiar faces are Dean Kremer and Cade Povich, who finished last year with 4.10 and 5.20 ERAs, respectively.

Projected to join them, to start the season at least, are Charlie Morton, who is entering his age-41 season, and Tomoyuki Sugano, a 35-year-old from Japan who was signed by the Orioles in December and has a career 2.43 ERA in 1,857 innings in the NPB.

Though this rotation could have temporarily sufficed, the Orioles apparently wanted to play it safe. Last weekend they signed veteran starter Kyle Gibson, who will need to build up before seeing where he fits into the group.

As injured starters return, the rotation could look much different as the season goes on. That’s good, because it’s not easy to just magically replace a former Cy Young winner.

Projected Bullpen

Bullpen Depth

1. Félix Bautista

2. Seranthony Domínguez

3. Keegan Akin

4. Yennier Cano

5. Gregory Soto

6. Cionel Pérez

7. Albert Suárez

8. Matt Bowman

Notable IL: RHP Andrew Kittredge

As good as the Orioles were last year, the bullpen was a bottom-10 unit in the league. 36-year-old closer Craig Kimbrel, who finished with a -1.1 bWAR and 5.33 ERA, was a big reason for that.

So Baltimore fans must be ecstatic that 2025 features the return of Félix Bautista into the role. The flamethrower missed all of last year to injury but has a career 1.85 ERA and 48 saves in 126.2 innings.

The rest of the bullpen looks familiar with names like Seranthony Domínguez, Keegan Akin, and Yennier Cano returning to lock down the late innings. Regardless of who else comes into games in relief, the addition of Bautista alone significantly improves the quality of the bullpen.

Outlook

Even though there are questions about whether the pitching staff can avoid taking a step back, there’s no question that a young, potent offense should be as good, if not better than last year. That’s a scary thought for opposing pitchers and is why the Orioles should continue to be a force and have a great chance at stretching their playoff streak to a third year.

1. Boston Red Sox

2024 Record: 81-81, Finished 3rd in the AL East

Projected Opening Day Starting Lineup

Lineup vs. RHP/LHP

1. Jarren Duran, LF

2. Rafael Devers, DH

3. Alex Bregman, 3B

4. Triston Casas, 1B

5. Trevor Story, SS

6. Wilyer Abreu/Rob Refsnyder, RF

7. Kristian Campbell, 2B

8. Connor Wong, C

9. Ceddanne Rafaela, CF

Notable IL: DH Masataka Yoshida

For a team that finished with an even .500 record to make such a leap as to win a division like the AL East, it would surely take some big additions to the roster. Lucky for the Red Sox, they spent their offseason doing exactly that.

On offense, that meant signing arguably the top infielder on the free agent market: Alex Bregman. With a 39.6 bWAR over nine seasons, the two-time All-Star and recent Gold Glover massively upgrades what was already a top-10 offensive unit.

Bregman gets to be present for year three of the full deployment of Boston’s three-headed monster: outfielder Jarren Duran, first baseman Triston Casas (who unfortunately missed over half of 2024 due to injury), and third baseman Rafael Devers.

Duran and Devers both received MVP votes for their performances in 2024, while Casas took third in the AL Rookie of the Year race the year before. The addition of Bregman gives the Red Sox a top four in the lineup that rivals any team in the league.

And that’s not all. Outfielder Wilyer Abreu had a 3.4 bWAR as a rookie in 2024, was sixth in AL Rookie of the Year voting, and even won a Gold Glove. Masataka Yoshida missed some games to injury but had a 112 OPS+ over 108 games in his second year in Boston.

If the Red Sox have a weak spot, it’s in the middle infield. Trevor Story returns at shortstop, but it’s hard to know how much he can be relied upon as he has played in just 163 games in three seasons in Boston.

Second base is currently projected to go to Kristian Campbell, No. 36 on the Just Baseball Top 100 Prospects list. He has a .327 average and .986 OPS in 137 career minor league games, but is still 22 and has yet to make his MLB debut.

Notable Depth/Bench

UTIL David Hamilton, OF Roman Anthony, SS Marcelo Mayer

Should Campbell not end up looking quite ready to play every day in the majors, the Red Sox could switch to David Hamilton, who will back up multiple positions regardless. The 27-year-old is a menace on the basepaths and had 33 steals last year, though he also has a career .235 average and .671 OPS.

Outside of that, the biggest question is when Boston will see their top two prospects make their MLB debuts. Shortstop Marcelo Mayer, the fourth overall pick in 2021, is the No. 28 prospect on our Top 100, while outfielder Roman Anthony, the 79th overall pick in 2022, is the top prospect in all of baseball.

Both will likely start the season at Triple-A, with Anthony already having some experience there (.344/.463/.519 slash line in 35 games last year). Depending on how their seasons go, it may not be where they find themselves at the end of 2025.

Projected Starting Rotation

Rotation Depth Chart on Opening Day

1. Garrett Crochet

2. Tanner Houck

3. Walker Buehler

4. Richard Fitts

5. Sean Newcomb

Notable IL: RHP Brayan Bello, RHP Kutter Crawford, RHP Lucas Giolito, LHP Chris Murphy, LHP Patrick Sandoval

The Red Sox rotation actually held up relatively well last year, finishing seventh in starters’ ERA at 3.81. But there were still opportunities to make things even stronger, and that’s where two of the team’s other big offseason signings come in.

Boston not only signed arguably the top infield free agent on the market, they traded for the hottest pitching commodity in Garrett Crochet from the White Sox. He immediately walks in and takes over as the team ace.

The Red Sox didn’t stop there. They also signed free agent starter Walker Buehler, who also has been bitten by the injury bug in recent years but has a career 3.27 ERA in seven MLB seasons, all with the Dodgers.

Though he may not be the team ace anymore, Tanner Houck is still one of the better starters in the AL and gives the Sox a great 1-2-3 punch. Last year he set career bests in ERA (3.12) and strikeouts (154) while making the first All-Star appearance of his career.

Boston has a number of options to fill the final two spots. While Richard Fitts and Sean Newcomb are currently projected to fill out the rotation, currently injured Kutter Crawford and Brayan Bello, among others, will factor in as well. Once everything shakes out, it could be one of the top rotations in the league.

Projected Bullpen

Bullpen Depth

1. Aroldis Chapman

2. Liam Hendriks

3. Justin Slaten

4. Garrett Whitlock

5. Greg Weissert

6. Justin Wilson

7. Brennan Bernardino

8. Zack Kelly

Notable IL: LHP Zach Penrod

As strong as the Red Sox rotation was last year, the bullpen was equally rough, finishing with the seventh-highest ERA in MLB at 4.39. So naturally, Boston made a move to address that too while also having a big name return from injury.

The external addition is Aroldis Chapman. Now 37, the member of the 300-save club can still sling it as he posted a 3.79 ERA with 14 saves in 68 games for the Pirates last year. He’s projected to take over for Kenley Jansen at closer.

The internal addition is Liam Hendriks, another former closer. The Red Sox actually signed him two offseasons ago, but he ended up missing all of last year due to Tommy John surgery. He’s now back and ready to go in a setup role.

The Red Sox do have the benefit of some of their stronger relievers returning this year, including Greg Weissert, Justin Slaten, and Zack Kelly who all had sub-4.00 ERAs. Even if not a top unit, this feels like a group that should be improved over last year.

Outlook

It may not be fun for fans to watch a team that finishes third or worst in three consecutive seasons, especially after a season where they just missed a trip to the World Series. But for fans who have been patient, that patience seems ready to pay off.

The Red Sox did as much work as any team this offseason to put themselves in a position to make a strong playoff run. That’s always an important stance to take in a division like the AL East, and one that should pay off in a big way in 2025.