The American League East is always a pretty competitive division, and is home to two of the MLB’s marquee franchises in the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. Much like last season, it should be expected that these two teams will still be standing at the end of the year. They are by far the two best in the division, and barring any crazy injuries, this will be a two-team race. That leads us to the question, which of the two is better? Well it is tough to tell, but due to their World Series Title, the edge has to go to the reigning champs, the Red Sox. Let’s take a deeper look into all five teams in the AL East. 
Baltimore Orioles 
Unfortunately, the Orioles have a roster that looks more like a triple A team. They definitely have players with potential, but have minimal players who are ready to perform at a big-league level. Their best position player is probably Jonathan Villar, who is versatile and very fast. Their best pitcher is Dylan Bundy, who had a really tough season last year as he produced an earned run average of 5.45. Do not expect Baltimore to win many games in 2019, they are in full rebuild mode.
Toronto Blue Jays
Similar to the Orioles, the Blue Jays are also preparing for the future. They have a plethora of young players with potential, but barely any with proven talent. Toronto’s best position player is Justin Smoak, but he is starting to get older as he approaches his mid-30s. The one positive thing that the Blue Jays have going for them is that they have a stud pitcher in Marcus Stroman. He will turn 28 early in the season, and is entering his prime as a pitcher. It would not shock me if Toronto traded him for prospects, but either way he carries tremendous value whether they keep him or part ways. 
Tampa Bay Rays
Maybe the biggest surprise in 2018, the Rays just barely came up short of making the playoffs. Their roster was mediocre at best, but manager Kevin Cash put them in great position to be competitive game in and game out. Infielder Matt Duffy is their best position player at least at the plate, while Kevin Kiermaier is probably the best defensive centerfielder in the MLB. By far Tampa Bay’s biggest asset is their ace pitcher, Blake Snell. He won 21 games in 2018 and had an earned run average of 1.89, which was good enough to earn him the CY Young award. It would be tough for Snell to repeat that in 2019, but regardless, I would look for him to be effective once again. 
New York Yankees
The Yankees have the deadliest lineup in the MLB when they are all healthy and locked in. Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, and Gary Sanchez are about as scary as it gets for opposing pitchers. Aside from their unreal offense, they have put together a much better pitching staff that will be ready to go in 2019. Led by Luis Severino, the Yankees have added James Paxton and J.A. Happ to the mix. While adding them, the Yankees will still have Masahiro Tanaka and CC Sabathia, who both have great track records in the postseason. Look for the Yankees to go toe-to-toe with the Red Sox down the stretch. 
Boston Red Sox
After winning the World Series in 2018, the Red Sox are returning with pretty much the same roster besides Craig Kimbrel (who was a shell of himself in the playoffs anyways). They were able to re-sign Nathan Eovaldi who had a spectacular postseason last year. David Price opted in and should be playing with a high level of confidence after finally winning a couple of playoff games. Mookie Betts is coming off of an MVP season and has shown no signs of slowing down. The biggest factor of the 2019 season is what J.D. Martinez does at the plate. Alex Cora was absolutely a change that was needed last year, but Martinez made the biggest difference in the team. He was a true triple crown candidate, and made the lineup so much better than it had been in years. If he can produce close to the way he did last year, then I do not see anyone beating the Red Sox this season.