Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The AL East's second half brings crucial questions about team strategies and player performances.
- One veteran pitcher could be on the move, while another team faces potential internal stagnation.
- A franchise's playoff hopes hinge on a star's resurgence, testing the limits of current standings.
July is around the corner, and the American League East has left us with far more questions than answers.
What’s going on with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Blue Jays’ offense? How and why have the Red Sox been so mediocre, yet they were able to sweep the Yankees? And are the Rays really for real?
Before going any further, let’s take a quick look at the AL East standings entering June 30:
Team | Record | Games Back |
|---|---|---|
Tampa Bay Rays | 48-33 | -- |
New York Yankees | 48-36 | 1.5 |
Toronto Blue Jays | 40-45 | 10 |
Baltimore Orioles | 40-46 | 10.5 |
Boston Red Sox | 37-46 | 12.0 |
Here are the storylines you’ll want to watch in the AL East over the season’s second half.
Baltimore Orioles
Prediction: Pete Alonso finishes with 40 home runs
Alonso is currently at 19 home runs, so he’d need 21 over the final three months. Who says that I can’t do math? Clearly, that Math for Liberal Arts course I took in college is paying off.
It’d certainly be fitting for Alonso to record yet another 40-homer season for an underperforming team, albeit on the Orioles instead of the Mets. If he needs some extra motivation, he should remember that he’s only 17 homers shy of 300.
By no means is Alonso a Hall of Famer off his current resume. However, the recent Cooperstown trends favoring a strong peak could eventually work in his favor the closer he gets to 500 homers. Anyone who plays Immaculate Grid knows that 40 bWAR is considered a magic number, of sorts, for having a shot. Alonso is at 25.0, and he doesn’t turn 32 until December. Hmmm.
Boston Red Sox
Prediction: Sonny Gray and Isiah Kiner-Falefa get traded to the Braves
As I wrote this, Gray and IKF were still on the Red Sox. Why that’s the case, I’m not sure.
Craig Breslow needs to move ASAP and sell high on the duo before it’s too late. The Braves need rotation help and added infield depth. This is a perfect match, though it makes too much sense for Breslow to realistically do anytime soon.
Breslow is book smart, and he understands baseball from the perspective of a former player. But his front office skills are, shall we say, lacking. Red Sox fans should prepare themselves to learn that Breslow traded Gray for two High-A prospects, a player to be named later and a sandwich wrapper.
New York Yankees
Prediction: Aaron Boone doesn’t make any midseason coaching or lineup changes
We can likely safely rule out any coaches being fired or reassigned before season’s end. Neither Aaron Boone nor Brian Cashman operates under that philosophy, and none of the Yankees’ recent issues are coaching-related. (At least, not in terms of the assistant coaches. Boone, as always, is a separate conversation.)
As for the lineup, Boone is fiercely loyal. Barring further injuries, the Yankees don’t strike me as a team that’ll be overly aggressive at the trade deadline. That means you’ll keep seeing Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells in the lineup.
Whatever happened to Giancarlo Stanton!?
Tampa Bay Rays
Prediction: The Rays trade for Kodai Senga, so long as the Mets eat the money
The Rays do not spend money, but they have an opportunity to win the American League East. History and common sense would have you think Tampa won’t make any major moves this trade deadline …
… but I disagree. Would anyone truly be surprised if the Rays added a notable veteran pitcher, with the caveat being that the other team was eating part of the contract? Kodai Senga needs a fresh start, and the Mets are in free fall.
With New York's luck, this will be the modern version of the Victor Zambrano trade — and if you’re a Mets fan too young to know what that is, then be grateful.
Toronto Blue Jays
Prediction: Toronto finishes 81-81 … and barely misses the playoffs
Combine the parity of baseball with three Wild Card seeds, and you have a system that could very well see an 83-win team sneak into the postseason.
Unfortunately for the Blue Jays, I don’t see them being that team. Their recent six-game losing streak has dropped them to 40-45, and they’ve just become a painful watch.
So, why do I think they’ll end the year at .500 rather than below it? Call it a gut feeling, especially if Vladimir Guerrero Jr. goes on a second-half power surge. Besides, what a gut punch it’d be to avoid a losing record and miss the playoffs by two games.
Then again, my gut feeling had me thinking the Red Sox would win the World Series, so…yeah.
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