It turned out to be just as bad as everyone expected. Gerrit Cole is officially set to undergo Tommy John Surgery on Tuesday, knocking him out not only for the entire 2025 campaign but likely for part of 2026 as well.
This is a monstrous blow to the New York Yankees' chances of winning the World Series in 2025. Cole, when healthy, is among the best starting pitchers in the game. Yes, the Yankees signed Max Fried, but the idea of that signing was to pair him with Cole, not have him replace the ace of the staff.
Cole's injury not only affects how the Yankees will look in the upcoming campaign, but it will also impact how the AL East - the toughest division in the league - will shake out.
5) A decent Blue Jays offseason isn't enough to drag them out of the AL East cellar
The Toronto Blue Jays didn't sign a superstar for the second straight offseason, but they did make a series of additions as they attempt to improve following a disastrous 74-win campaign. The Blue Jays bolstered their rotation by signing Max Scherzer, added a much-needed big bat in Anthony Santander, and improved their bullpen in a big way by adding Jeff Hoffman, Yimi Garcia, and Nick Sandlin.
There is a good amount to like on this Blue Jays roster. The bullpen looks much better, the lineup added a big power bat to pair with an MVP-caliber player in Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and the rotation is rock-solid with Scherzer at the back end.
Still, the Jays lineup lacks much promise outside of Guerrero, Santander, and Bo Bichette, and they have little to no pitching depth, particularly in their rotation. If they were in any other division, they'd probably finish a bit higher, but in this AL East, it'd be surprising if they weren't at the bottom.
4) The Rays might surprise some people in 2025
The Tampa Bay Rays might have the best rotation in the American League East, especially with Cole's injury. Both Shane McClanahan and Drew Rasmussen are back from major injuries, and they're set to join Taj Bradley, Ryan Pepiot, Zack Littell, and Shane Baz in an absurdly talented rotation. Their bullpen, led by electric right-handers Pete Fairbanks and Edwin Uceta, should be solid as well as it seemingly always is.
While the Rays will undoubtedly pitch their way to many wins (if health prevails), their lineup is full of question marks. Junior Caminero has tons of potential, but who knows what to expect from him in his first full season? Christopher Morel has 40-home run power, but he also can easily hit under .200 again like he did in 2024. Who is the best hitter in this lineup? Yandy Diaz? Brandon Lowe?
The Rays should pitch well enough to win on most nights, but it's tough to rely on these bats to do enough damage. Similarly to the Blue Jays, they'd probably finish higher in most other divisions, but in this one, it'll be tough for them to crack the top three.
3) The Orioles didn't do nearly enough over the offseason to improve their roster
This Baltimore Orioles lineup, even without Anthony Santander, is quite good. Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman are bonafide stars. Jordan Westburg is on his way to stardom, and Jackson Holliday has star potential. Tyler O'Neill, Cedric Mullins, and Ryan Mountcastle are all stout contributors. They'll score a lot of runs, but pitching is a major question mark.
It's hard to blame the Orioles for losing out on Corbin Burnes when he fetched over $200 million in free agency and seemingly had his mind set on joining the Arizona Diamondbacks, even at a discount, but that doesn't mean that Baltimore had to settle for mediocrity with its rotation. Baltimore signed 41-year-old Charlie Morton and 35-year-old Tomoyuki Sugano to one-year deals. That's it. Their projected Opening Day rotation is easily the worst in the AL East. I mean, Morton is probably their No. 2 starter.
Baltimore will get injured right-handers Kyle Bradish and Grayson Rodriguez back at certain points in the 2025 campaign, but it'll be tough for them to hang around with the division's elite without those pitchers. That's what this comes down to.
2) Gerrit Cole's injury bumps the Yankees down in the standings
The Yankees were probably favorites to win the AL Pennant, let alone the AL East, before spring training began, but things have changed hugely. It sounds like Giancarlo Stanton is going to miss substantial time with injuries to both of his elbows. Luis Gil is going to miss at least half of the season due to a lat injury. Now, Cole is sidelined for the entire campaign.
New York's rotation was supposed to be the team's biggest strength, with Cole, Fried, and Gil leading the way. Now, it's Fried and question marks. Which version of Carlos Rodon will the Yankees get? Is Clarke Schmidt healthy? What can the Yankees realistically expect from Marcus Stroman after shopping him all winter? Can Will Warren get MLB hitters out in games that count? The rotation went from a major strength to a potential weakness.
The rotation becoming a weakness is something that the Yankees can ill-afford, considering the state of their lineup. Yes, Aaron Judge is still there, and the complimentary pieces are better than they were last season (even with the massive third base issue), but there is a Juan Soto-sized hole missing in the lineup.
With all of this being said, the Yankees do have arguably the best hitter in the sport leading the way, they have an ace even without Cole, and they have a great bullpen. They should still win plenty of games, even if they don't win the AL East.
1) The Red Sox might now be the team to beat in the AL East
The Boston Red Sox had just about as good of an offseason as their fans could've hoped for. The team made the biggest trade of the winter, landing Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox. He and Walker Buehler join a suddenly rock-solid rotation. It doesn't get much better than Crochet, Tanner Houck, Buehler, Lucas Giolito, and Brayan Bello with Kutter Crawford as depth in the AL.
Additionally, the Red Sox signed Alex Bregman to a three-year deal, adding a right-handed hitter who has been as dominant as anyone at Fenway Park to a left-handed-heavy lineup that needed more balance. He should fit in seamlessly and make an already solid lineup that much better.
Boston's bullpen is a major question mark and could cost them the division's top spot, but with the Yankees dealing with a bevy of injuries, the Red Sox feel like the team to beat right now.