A look at the American League

John Berger
Reporter

Opening day is quickly approaching. The baseball season is really long, and the offseason is always really busy. That was no different during this past offseason, as teams all over the league made moves. Let’s examine how teams in the American League look.

The AL East was ridiculously tough last season. The Yankees, Red Sox, Rays, and Blue Jays all finished .500 or above on the season. In a division as tough as that one, it’s a struggle every year to even stay competitive.

The Yankees had an interesting offseason. The three time reigning AL East champs didn’t make any big moves in free agency for the first time in forever. They were able to re-sign ace C.C Sabathia, and had a number of good pick-ups. The Yankees signed three veteran players in free agency to help their bench and their depth.

Russell Branyan has prodigious power as a left-handed hitter. He can be a spot starter as a DH, and a late inning power threat off the bench. Bill Hall is a versatile defender who was signed to a minor-league contract. Hall can play three positions in the infield. Although he struggled to hit last year, Hall is a good pickup for the Yanks as a position player.  Lastly, the Yankees recently signed Raul Ibanez to a 1 year deal. Ibanez is old, 39 years old, but he’s a capable hitter who is another good option off the bench.

These moves by the Yankees are all low risk-high reward signings. At least one of these guys will be a big time contributor this year.

In addition to those signings, the Yankees made a couple of important trades. First, they traded prized catching prospect Jesus Montero to the Seattle Mariners for a pair of pitchers. One of those pitchers, Michael Pineda, is a hard throwing right hander who will contribute right away in the Yankees rotation. Pineda had the eighth best WHIP in the American League last year.

Secondly, the Yankees made a trade is considered to be addition by subtraction. The Yankees traded away embattled pitcher AJ Burnett to the Pirates for a pair of prospects. New York still has to pay part of Burnett’s hefty salary, but he was a disaster last year whose departure will help the Yankees.

As per usual the last few years, the Red Sox will be competitive this year. The biggest move of the offseason for Boston was the hiring of Bobby Valentine as manager. Valentine is a veteran manager who should bring some much needed accountability to the Red Sox clubhouse. He has lots of enthusiasm and energy as the leader of the team.

Elsewhere, the Sox had a quiet offseason in terms of big names, somewhat like the Yankees. Knuckleball pitcher Tim Wakefield retired. They signed outfielder Cody Ross to bolster the team. The Red Sox have plenty of weapons throughout their lineup. If they can rebound from last year’s collapse, they will be right near the top of the division all year long.

The Rays went to the playoffs last year and look poised to possibly go again this year. The Rays didn’t make a lot of moves over the offseason, but they have a very good young core of both pitchers and position players. Several players have a chance to build on very good 2011 seasons.

In the AL Central, defending champs Detroit Tigers are the team to beat.

In the offseason the Tigers signed Prince Fielder to a monster nine year contract. He’ll form a formidable 3-4 combination with Miguel Cabrera in the Tiger’s lineup.

The Tigers have a lot of good pieces elsewhere in the lineup, and a very good pitching staff led by Justin Verlander.

Out West, the Rangers and the Angels are the teams to beat.

The Rangers signed Japanese sensation Yu Darvish to a big contract. They’ve won the AL the last two years, so inevitably they’ll be in the running all year long.

The Angels signed Albert Pujols to a HUGE contract, and also added free agent Pitcher C.J Wilson as well. Couple those guys with young players like Peter Bourjos, Hank Conger, and Mike Trout, and you have a very formidable team in Anaheim.

So long for now, we’ll take a look at the National League in a little bit.