The Baltimore Orioles Rise and the Red Sox Fall
by Trent Gentile

One of the biggest surprises of last season in fantasy baseball was the Baltimore Orioles incredible rise from cellar to postseason and the Red Sox meteoric fall into last place in the AL East. The Red Sox decided to cave on their season when they traded three fantasy baseball powerhouses (first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, pitcher Josh Beckett and outfielder Carl Crawford) away to the Los Angeles Dodgers after the trade deadline last season. They have been among the most active teams in fantasy baseball this offseason with signing new players including catcher/first baseman Mike Napoli, outfielder Shane Victorino, shortstop Stephen Drew, and most recently, closer Joel Hanrahan who they acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

          The Baltimore Orioles Rise And The Red Sox Fall

The Baltimore Orioles have pretty much stayed put this offseason, seemingly content to be where they are which was a Wild Card bid in the AL playoffs last season. The New York Yankees have been unusually quiet this offseason due to luxury tax problems, but they already have plenty of fantasy baseball threats, and they are coming off of a season where they won the division and had the best record in baseball. However, a new power is rising now in the American League East. The Toronto Blue Jays most recently acquired NL Cy Young award winner R.A. Dickey but before that this offseason they bought off a chunk of the Miami Marlins payroll by acquiring shortstop Jose Reyes and pitchers Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson. The Rays are a little bit weaker having lost James Shields and B.J. Upton this offseason (Shields in a trade to the Royals and Upton to the Atlanta Braves in free agency) but with one of the best managers in the league in Joe Maddon, the Rays are never out of it. This is now the strongest division in fantasy baseball, and there is truly no weak link. Any of these teams could make a run, and there is a very good chance that both AL Wild Cards could come out of the AL East.

Baltimore might not be super impressive on paper, but they did find a way to play well enough to get in the playoffs in 2012. Expectations are high again in the city, especially when things are looking down for the Red Sox and Yankees. If they can get the same type of hitting and pitching as they did a year ago, few teams can compete with them. It will be interesting to see how things work out.

More Information:

mlb.com

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