Toronto Blue Jays fans have every reason to be thankful on this Thanksgiving Day, as Ross Atkins signed Dylan Cease, arguably the best pitcher on the free agency market, to a seven-year, $210 million deal. It's a lot of money to commit to a pitcher who had a down year in 2025, but when right, Cease is one of the best and most durable pitchers in the game. The defending American League champions just got much better, putting that much more pressure on their AL East rivals to match them.
With Cease off the board, it's clear what each of the teams vying for an AL East title in 2026 — no offense, but the Tampa Bay Rays feel apart from this conversation, especially in terms of offseason spending — must do to keep pace with the Jays.
Baltimore Orioles
How Orioles can answer: Acquire an ace of their own
The Blue Jays signed the best player available at the position the Baltimore Orioles need to address the most. That stings. The Orioles entered the offseason with a need for a frontline starter, and after trading Grayson Rodriguez away, that need is even more apparent. It's unlikely they'd spend $210 million on any starter, but even with Cease off the board, there are targets for them to pursue in an effort to match Toronto.
In free agency, the Orioles can pick from any of Framber Valdez, Ranger Suarez, Michael King or Tatsuya Imai. None of these four starters has as good of stuff as Cease, and I wouldn't call any of them surefire aces either, but they'd slot in nicely at the top of this Orioles rotation and make them much better. Is Mike Elias willing to make the massive commitment it'd take to get one of these pitchers on board, though?
If not, he could look at the trade market. Tarik Skubal is probably a pipe dream, but guys like Freddy Peralta, Sandy Alcantara and Joe Ryan headline a loaded trade block on the starting pitching front. The Orioles' farm system isn't as good as it once was, but a deal headlined by a guy like Coby Mayo or Dylan Beavers can get just about any team interested.
The Orioles have their pick of several arms to pursue this winter, but it'll be hard to take them seriously as true AL East threats without a big-name pitching addition.
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Boston Red Sox
How Red Sox can answer: Acquire a slugger
The Boston Red Sox made what could end up being their big offseason pitching addition when they acquired Sonny Gray from the St. Louis Cardinals. Boston could still be in the pitching market this winter, but odds are, its attention is now mostly turned to offense. Adding a big power bat should be the Red Sox's No. 1 priority.
The Red Sox shocked the MLB world by trading Rafael Devers away, leaving them without a major power threat. Trevor Story (25 HR) and Wilyer Abreu (22 HR) were their only players who hit 20+ home runs this past season. That's not good enough. Even assuming Roman Anthony performs as the All-Star he's expected to be, the Red Sox need more offensive firepower.
Fortunately, there are a plethora of options for them to choose from, mostly in free agency. Whether it's Kyle Schwarber, Pete Alonso or even Eugenio Suarez, there are elite power options available, even if none of them provide any defensive value. On the trade market, the Red Sox could always get creative and trade for a 30+ home run hitter like Byron Buxton or Brandon Lowe.
Simply re-signing Alex Bregman and running it back isn't good enough. Bregman should be brought back, assuming the price isn't outrageous, but adding a big bat on top of that has to be Boston's plan to compete in this gauntlet of a division.
New York Yankees
How Yankees can answer: Sign Kyle Tucker
The New York Yankees finished the regular season tied with the Blue Jays record-wise, but Toronto won the season series and the playoff series against New York, proving to be a better team in 2025. There's reason to believe that the Yankees will be better in 2026, particularly when Gerrit Cole returns from his injury, but it feels like it'll be more of the same in the Bronx without a major offensive upgrade. That's where Kyle Tucker comes in.
It didn't end well for Tucker in Chicago this past season, but he still finished the year with a 143 OPS+ and won a Silver Slugger award. Tucker doing that despite dealing with injuries virtually the entire second half speaks to the kind of talent he is offensively. Adding him to hit in front of or behind Aaron Judge could lead to outstanding results. I'm not going to say Tucker is Juan Soto offensively, but the only time the Yankees have paired an MVP-caliber bat with Judge, they won the Pennant. Tucker could be the missing piece.
With Cody Bellinger a free agent, Tucker is a perfect fit in left field. Will the Yankees swim in those waters, though? Tucker might not make Soto money, but he's going to be the highest-paid free agent this winter by a wide margin. Hal Steinbrenner has been vocal about his desire to lower the Yankees' payroll and suggesting that the team doesn't generate as much revenue as some believe. Therefore, there are reasons to be skeptical about their willingness to add another $300+ million player to their payroll.
Signing Tucker might make the Yankees World Series favorites. Settling for Bellinger would still give the Yankees a puncher's chance, but Tucker is a player who can make them meaningfully better. The Jays are willing to do just about whatever it takes, so the Yankees must match or top them.