The AL East has always been viewed as the toughest division in baseball, but lately this hasn’t quite been the case.  With both the Yankees and Red Sox having their share of struggles in 2014, other teams have shown they are on the rise.  This offseason has been a busy one for a few teams in the East as they have high hopes entering spring training.  

Baltimore Orioles

The O’s won the East easily last season, but haven’t done much this offseason.  Nelson Cruz is gone and they will have to deal with an aftermath of Chris Davis’ suspension that kept him out of the playoffs.  

Baltimore will be without both Cruz, Andrew Miller,  and Nick Markakis this season, and have done little to replace them.  Cruz was a big part of the O’s success last season, providing a lot of spark in the lineup, and they haven’t been able to replace him.

Entering spring, the O’s have lost more than they have gained.  They’ve made a few moves, but nothing major.  This spring will be about finalizing the roster and getting players in gear to make up for the team's offseason losses.

Toronto Blue Jays

The Jays had their ups and downs last season, and while they made a push for the playoffs early on, their sights on October baseball quickly dwindled.  They have been a very busy team this offseason, however and have brought in a lot of talent to aid them in a playoff run.

Josh Donaldson is a huge acquisition for the Jays.  He’s coming off the best season of his young career and joins a lineup featuring Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion.  Donaldson adds some more pop to a lineup featuring some heavy hitters.

The Jays also have a decent rotation heading into spring training, and now have the lineup to support it.  This spring will be about determining the batting order and seeing how this new Jays team works together.  They have greatly improved with their offseason acquisitions and have what it takes to be serious contenders in 2015.

New York Yankees

The Yankees have missed out on the postseason for two years in a row; not very Yankee like.  The Bronx Bombers are getting older, and have suffered on the injury front.  A team that was in need of making some moves this offseason has been content standing pat.

As usual, there’s plenty of drama surrounding the guys in pinstripes.  Alex Rodriguez is expected back this upcoming season, which, of course, has created quite the hype.  But more importantly, the Yanks are expected to get CC Sabathia, Masahiro Tanaka, and Michael Pineda, minus the pine tar, back at the beginning of the season.  

Last year, their rotation was insufficient due to lack of depth and too many injuries; however they didn’t sign any big name pitchers this offseason, which is quite the shock considering they are the New York Yankees and usually bring in the top free agents.

Offensively, they struggled as well, and will have to do without Ichiro Suzuki as he signed a deal with the Miami Marlins.

This spring will be about getting healthy and back to baseball shape for a lot of these players.  The Yankees always seem to be in contention, but with an older roster and so many injuries they have played a lot of poor baseball the past two seasons.

Boston Red Sox

The Sox had a disappointing 2014 after winning the World Series in 2013.  They finished in last place of the East with a 71-91 record.  This offseason has been huge for the Red Sox as they have brought in top free agents in hopes of making another run at the Championship.

Pablo Sandoval, Hanley Ramirez, and Rick Porcello were top acquisitions for the Sox this offseason.  They lost Yoenis Cespedes, but gained a solid starter; and they already had a stacked outfield, so the Cespedes trade won’t have such an impact.  The Sox are known for flashing the cash and they did just that this offseason in order to put them as a top contender in 2015.

This is a talented team with a lot of depth, so spring training will be key for finalizing the roster.  Seeing how these new additions work with each other starts in February as they prepare for the regular season.

Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays had a tough 2014 season finishing in fourth place and have since gone through a lot of change.  Joe Maddon has moved on and is now managing the Chicago Cubs as Kevin Cash takes over managerial duties in Tampa.

This offseason, the Rays have done a lot of dealing, trading guys like Ben Zobrist and Yunel Escobar, while not doing a lot of buying.  With their division rivals making flashy moves in such a tough division, it’s going to be difficult for the Rays to compete with what they have right now.