MLB Power Rankings: AL East standings after Alex Bregman makes MLB’s most competitive division even deeper

The final major domino of free agency finally fell on Wednesday night, as the Boston Red Sox won the Alex Bregman sweepstakes with a three-year, $120 million deal (one that includes opt-outs after both 2025 and 2026 seasons). It's the exclamation point on what now feels like one heck of an offseason from Craig Breslow and Co.; having already addressed the rotation in two very big ways, Boston found the perfect addition to the team's lineup, a righty-hitting infielder who should move just fine to second base and whose swing fits Fenway Park to a tee.

Now the question becomes: Is it enough to get over the hump? One of just two divisions in baseball to feature multiple 90-win teams last season, the AL East was already setting up to be arguably the most competitive in the entire league — and that was before Boston added another All-Star to the mix. The New York Yankees have also loaded up after losing Juan Soto, while the Baltimore Orioles still boast one of baseball's best young cores and even the Toronto Blue Jays have added significant talent. How do things stack up with Bregman in the fold? Let's break it down.

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5. Toronto Blue Jays

Ross Atkins feels caught between a rock and a hard place right now. The 2025 season was always supposed to be when this Blue Jays core peaked, right before Bo Bichette and Vlad Guerrero Jr. hit free agency. But last year was an abject disaster, and pursuits of Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes and other big names this winter never seemed to get off the ground.

Adding Anthony Santander and Max Scherzer certainly helps, and it's not like there isn't talent here: Scherzer, Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, Chris Bassitt and Bowden Francis are a very solid starting five, and the up-the-middle defense is elite. But this remains a roster in limbo, unable to tear it down and retool but with far too many holes to seriously threaten the best teams in the league. What if injury hits the rotation? Where will the power come from beyond Vladdy and Santander? There are far too many questions here, even before we address the $500 million elephant in the room.

4. Tampa Bay Rays

Really, this is more a testament to the strength of this division than it is an indictment of where the Rays are at right now. Really, you could tell me that this team will snag a Wild Card spot this season — or heck, even win the division outright — and I wouldn't be shocked. That's how good this pitching staff can be when it's healthy, with Shane McClanahan and Drew Rasmussen finally set to return from injury and join Ryan Pepiot, Shane Baz and Taj Bradley in one of baseball's highest-ceiling rotations.

With the quality of stuff Tampa has at its disposal, they won't need a ton of runs to win games. And again, upside abounds, from former top prospect Junior Caminero to Christopher Morel to Josh and Brandon Lowe (no relation). There are a lot of "if"s with all of the above, which is why they're down here to start the season. But don't be surprised to look up and find a very dangerous team come summer.

3. Baltimore Orioles

Maybe this is overly harsh; this team has won 192 games over the last two seasons, after all, and they still boast one of the better position player duos in the entire sport in Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman. Jordan Westburg looks on track to become a star, and between the newly signed Tyler O'Neill and former top prospects Colton Cowser and Heston Kjerstad, Baltimore has more outfield talent than it knows what to do with.

But ... Mike Elias does know that you also need to pitch well to win games, right? Baltimore lost Corbin Burnes in free agency, and all they added in his stead were Japanese import Tomoyuki Sugano and veteran innings-eater Charlie Morton. Grayson Rodriguez is going to bust out one of these years, but in general there are far too many question marks in this rotation right now, especially with Trevor Rogers already going down with an injury this spring. The floor here still feels pretty high, but the rotation scares me enough to drop them slightly below the top two teams on this list.

2. Boston Red Sox

Boston, on the other hand, should have no trouble getting outs — at least at the start of games. Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck, Walker Buehler, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford and the returning Lucas Giolito should form one of the best rotations in the entire sport, assuming everybody stays healthy, and there's some depth behind them even if they don't. Plus, with Bregman now on board, this is also one of the best tops of the order anywhere, with Jarren Duran, Rafael Devers, Bregman and Triston Casas offering no easy landing spots.

You probably sensed that there was a "but" coming somewhere, so here goes: This bullpen still worries me, and unless we get a Trevor Story or Masataka Yoshida rebound or a Ceddanne Rafaela breakout, the lineup feels awfully top-heavy at the moment. Seriously: The only major addition Boston made to its relief corps this winter was Aroldis Chapman, who hardly inspires a ton of confidence at this point in his career. It would be a shock if. Boston doesn't make the playoffs in 2025, but those holes were just enough to cede the top spot to their arch rival down I-95.

1. New York Yankees

Not that the Yankees don't have holes of their own, of course. Well, really "hole" singular, as New York's third-base situation looks downright ugly unless Brian Cashman finally finds an upgrade on DJ LeMahieu and Oswaldo Cabrera. Other than that, though, this lineup looks pretty sturdy, surrounding Aaron Judge with a ton of hitters who project to be at least average to above-average — and potentially better, if Cody Bellinger or Paul Goldschmidt channel some Yankee Stadium magic or Jazz Chisholm Jr., Anthony Volpe or Austin Wells take another step forward at the plate.

And really, Judge and this pitching staff are so good that just being solid all around should be good enough to repeat as division champs. The Yankees have been building elite bullpens for years now, and they appear to have done so again with Devin Williams joining Luke Weaver at the back end. And if Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil stay healthy, that's among the most formidable starting fives in the entire sport. It's not too hard to imagine how things might go wrong for New York this season, but they appear to have the fewest red flags as things stand.