Yankees 89-73 , First Place Finish
I have the Yankees winning the division and it's not just because this is a Yankee site. I like this Yankee team a lot and I don't see why they cannot compete for a World Series championship. It will all come down to health for this team. If Masahiro Tanaka and Michael Pineda stays healthy the Yankee rotation is as strong as anyone.
If healthy I think the Yankees rotation matches up with anyone in the AL and certainly the AL East. Tampa Bay has the best rotation in the East but if you look at Toronto , Boston , and Baltimore I like the Yankees rotation better. The Blue Jays are not very strong behind Marcus Stroman and the same is said for for The Red Sox with David Price. The Orioles staff is filled with number threes and fours.
The Yankees bullpen is the best in baseball and it's not even close. The Yankees add Aroldis Chapman to Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller. Chapman will serve a 30 game suspension but will be back in May. The Yankees will look to shorten games with this big three.
The Yankees lineup needs to stay healthy but I expect Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner to have better seasons. I think Starlin Castro will turn out to be a great pickup as I see him being a big time hitter for years to come. Alex Rodriguez may not have as good a year as last but I expect 25+ home runs again. The question marks for the Yankees are health and age. If the older guys produce and the young guys like Luis Severino break out this team will be a force.
By Peter Vitella
