Divisional Makeup

The AL (American League) East has operated under the same configuration since the 1998 season. In that year, the Detroit Tigers moved out of the division to allow for the expansion of the Tampa Rays. The division itself now consists, in alphabetical order, of the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Tampa Rays (formerly the Devil Rays), and Toronto Blue Jays.

History

The East has been one of the most productive divisions in all of baseball, winning 5 World Series championships in the past 11 seasons. He has also produced 7 of the 11 Wild Card playoff teams during this span. As for the interdivision results themselves, the New York Yankees have won the division 9 times (3 World Series), followed by the Boston Red Sox (2 World Series). The only other team to win the division during this span has been the Tampa Rays. The other two divisional teams, the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles, have not won the division since the 1998 reconfiguration, although Baltimore did win the division in 1997.

Competition

This division is unique within the majors, as two of the best payroll clubs usually rule, the Yankees and the Red Sox. With their deep pockets, they can build ball clubs that can compete every year. The other teams in the division don’t have this luxury. In order for these remaining teams (Baltimore, Tampa and Toronto) to compete, they need to use a “restock” philosophy, which is essentially building teams for one- or two-year runs and then changing personnel when they become expensive to maintain.

Simply put, this is the American League East. In 2008, the Tampa Rays were able to win the division with a young, low-cost core. The Rays should be able to compete for at least two more seasons at a reasonable cost, turning the AL East into a three-team powerhouse along with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.