The New American League East

The New American League East For next few Major League seasons, the American League East standings will be similar to this:
Tampa Bay Rays 96-66
Boston Red Sox 94-68
New York Yankees 91-71
Toronto Blue Jays 83-79
Baltimore Orioles 69-93

Whether Red Sox or Yankees fans like it or not, the Tampa Bay Rays will get better every season. Why not? Their team are full of young and talented ballplayers. Their pitchers have not even reached their prime, starting pitchers anyway, their offence is full of young hitting machines and defense is very good.

While the Yankees and Red Sox spend hundreds of millions of dollars, the Rays will be spending a fraction of that, just like the Florida Marlins however, after this season the Rays will be spending a bit more because of their success.

Personally, the only team I do not mind the Red Sox losing to are the Rays. For ten years they have been struggling and have been the laughing stock of the major leagues but not anymore. Furthermore, I did predict, before Spring Training began, that the Rays would at least finish third and be right behind the New York Yankees. They are not only ahead of the Yankees but they are 4.5 games on top of defending world champions.

The Tampa Bay Rays may have some minor tweaks to fulfill but overall they are a very good team. Scott Kazmir, Andy Sonnanstine, Matt Garza, Edwin Jackson and James Shields have all combined for fifty-one wins and at least three of them (Sonnanstine, Garza and Shields) have at least ten wins.

Three of their players, to my recollection, (Kazmir, Navarro and Longoria) were all-stars at the 2008 All-Star Game on July 15th. Their bench players are playing great ball with Eric Hinske playing great ball and finally being able to fit in somewhere. He didn’t quite fit anywhere he played until now.

September will be the true test for the Tampa Bay Rays when they face, for most of the month, the Red Sox, Angels and Yankees on the road, which, like most every other A.L. East team, has been a constant struggle posting a below .500 record.

Indeed the Tampa Bay Rays will be a successful team however, their home attendance, as it seems, does not seem to match the story of the Cleveland Indians in the hit baseball picture “Major League” when the Indians were losing and then they turned it around and finally had huge attendance records.

What can they do? Well in the offseason I did suggest offering Barry Bonds, even though I quiver at the idea of having that man on any squad, a minor-league contract hitting in the Designated Hitter spot just for the attendance and television ratings. I still agree with the idea. I also believe the Rays should have a new ballpark. Baseball should never be played in a dome. If the Tampa Bay Rays win the division and make it to the post-season that will be a great accomplishment for the team no matter what happens. If they do not face the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the first round, they will definitely make it passed the American League Division Series.

I have confidence in the Rays as long as they can get back Evan Longoria, Carl Crawford and Troy Percival before September, the team should be fine. If not, the 2009 season shall be a sweet one for the Rays because the New York Yankees are rebuilding (even if they don’t want to admit it), the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays are not heading anywhere. So it will only come down to the Red Sox and Rays, once again.