By: Nathaniel Ascher
The AL East looks to take the World Series back from the NL this upcoming season. The Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays may already have the pieces to contend for playoff spots in 2020, but they could become serious contenders if they made big acquisitions this winter. Although these teams could turn to the trade market for potential acquisitions as well, they would give up fewer prospects if they signed free agents. The Blue Jays and Orioles, on the other hand, are in the rebuilding process and don’t seem like great fits for many of the big name free agents. But money talks, and if the Orioles and the Blue Jays want to be competitive in 2020, they could shell out some cash in order to convince players to sign with them. Here is one BIG free agent each AL East time could sign this winter and why it would be a good fit for both parties:
1. The New York Yankees - Gerrit Cole
The Yankees failed to even make the World Series, let alone win it this past decade. Brian Cashman and co. certainty can’t be too happy about that. Despite managing to make the ALCS while enduring many injuries this past season, the Yankees failed and didn’t achieve their goal: A 28th World Series title. James Paxton was a great addition to the starting rotation, and Masahiro Tanaka and Luis Severino could have bounce back seasons in 2020. But even if all of that goes to plan, the Yankees are still ONE ace away from having a complete, World Series caliber team. Enter Gerrit Cole.
What’s unique about Gerrit Cole is that he was a Yankees fan growing up. Even though many in the industry believe he wants to play out West, money talks, and the Yankees certainly have a lot of it. In 2019, Gerrit Cole had a tremendous year, going 20-5 with a 2.50 ERA and a 0.895 WHIP. He would without a doubt be the best Yankees starting pitcher in the past decade and would be the ace the Yankees need. The question is whether Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner are willing to dish out the $300+ million it would take to allure Gerrit Cole to the Bronx.
Potential Signing: Gerrit Cole to the Yankees for 8 years, $304 million.
2. The Tampa Bay Rays - Jose Abreu
The Tampa Bay Rays could use a new 1B/DH. Although Ji Man Choi is a good player, Edwin Encarnacion and José Abreu are significant upgrades. In 2019, Abreu quietly hit .284 with 33 HRs and a league leading 123 RBIs. The Rays could sign Jose Abreu to a 1-2 year deal worth around $15 million per year. Although Jose Abreu has said he wants to stay in Chicago, a move to the middle of the Rays lineup would make them serious wild card contenders for 2020.
Potential Signing: Jose Abreu to the Rays for 2 years, $38 million.
3. The Boston Red Sox - Will Smith
No matter what the Red Sox do with Mookie Betts, they will still need relief pitching. There aren’t many elite relievers available for trade or as a free agent signing this offseason, so the Red Sox need to be methodical when addressing their bullpen. If the Red Sox had signed Adam Ottavino or Zach Britton last offseason, they would’ve been in a much better position to compete for the AL East in 2019. Nevertheless, they will need 1-2 more elite arms in the ‘pen to even have a chance in 2020. That’s why they need to sign Will Smith, at the least.
In 2019, Will Smith had one of the best seasons of his career. In 65.1 innings pitched, he had a 2.76 ERA with an impressive 96 strikeouts. His strikeout to walk ratio was 4.57, and he had a WHIP of 1.026. Compared to Red Sox relievers, Smith had the 2nd best ERA, best WHIP, K/BB ratio, BB/9 ratio, and the 2nd highest ERA +. The Red Sox would vastly improve their bullpen by signing Will Smith, and it shouldn’t take that much money to make the deal happen.
Potential Signing: Will Smith to the Red Sox for 3 years, $27 million.
4. The Toronto Blue Jays - Jake Odorizzi
After Marcus Stroman was shipped to the Mets at the trade deadline last season, the Blue Jays lost their ace. Their young studs, Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Cavan Biggio are all infielders, so they don’t need any major upgrades there. In the outfield, they have Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Randal Grichuk, two solid outfielders. On the mound, they really don’t have any good starters. Ryan Borucki is ok, Trent Thornton has some potential, and that’s about it. Jake Odorizzi isn’t a pitcher you can build your franchise around, but he’s a solid number one or two starter for a team on the rise.
In 2019, Odorizzi was an all star and had a great season. He had a 3.51 ERA in 159.0 IP. His ERA, WHIP, K/9 ratio, and H/9 ratio were all better than any Blue Jays starter who was on the team at the end of the season and pitched more than 40 innings for them. Odorizzi shouldn’t demand an overwhelming amount of money over many years, so the Blue Jays should make an attempt at acquiring the Illinois native this winter.
Potential Signing: Jake Odorizzi to the Blue Jays for 3 years, $30 million.
5. The Baltimore Orioles - Didi Gregorius
This is a hot take. But a player signing with the Orioles can’t be that important, right? Well, you’re wrong. The Orioles have pretty much nothing to lose this offseason, so they could try and sign some free agents to have trade pieces at the deadline. Here’s where Sir Didi enters the picture. After coming back from Tommy John, Gregorius hit .238 with 16 HRs in 82 games for the Yankees in 2019. Although he wasn’t horrible, he definitely would have benefited from a better season as he enters free agency.
This winter, Didi should sign a 1-year ‘prove it’ deal with a team that could give him a lot of money, has a ballpark that benefits hitters, and who’s a familiar foe. The Orioles have all of those, and more. He could hit right in the middle of their lineup with good hitters in Renato Nunez and Trey Mancini surrounding him. If Gregorius has a stellar season, he could be shipped at the deadline for prospects or enter free agency once again at the end of the season, where he could command a multi-year deal from a contending team. Yes, this all depends on Gregorius having a bounce back season in 2020. But the difference in signing a two year deal now and a similar deal next offseason is quite significant. Didi should hedge his bets and join one of the worst teams in baseball.
Potential Signing: Didi Gregorius to the Orioles for 1 year, $12 million.
The AL East is up for grabs, it’s just up to the GMs and Owners to see who’s willing to make the biggest move.
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