AL EAST (my prediction):
Toronto Blue Jays (90-72)Tampa Bay Rays* (87-75)
New York Yankees (83-79)
Boston Red Sox (80-82)
Baltimore Orioles (77-85)
AL EAST (reality):
Boston Red Sox (97-65) +17 winsTampa Bay Rays* (92-71) +5 wins
Baltimore Orioles (85-77) +8 wins
New York Yankees (85-77) +2 wins
Toronto Blue Jays (74-88) -16 wins
I wasn't alone in my optimism for the Blue Jays. Just about everything went wrong for them last year. They're a good bet to bounce back this year; however, the sudden rebound by Boston (fueled by a legit farm system) and, soon, the Yankees (fueled by $, yet again) has narrowed Toronto's window considerably. I really can't look back at their 2013 and say that their plan was a bad one. It just didn't work.
