FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Alex Cora makes no bones about it.
"We play in the toughest division in baseball,'' he said Tuesday as the Red Sox prepared to wrap up their condensed spring training.
It's hard to take issue with that statement.
The AL East produced four teams with 91 wins or more last season. Both AL wild card entries came from the division (Red Sox and Yankees) and had the three wild card format been in place a year ago, all three would have come from the East, with the Blue Jays joining the mix.
On Wednesday, we'll take a deep dive into the Red Sox, but for today, here's a look at the rest of the division. This will be the last season in which the teams play an unbalanced schedule, with clubs meeting in-division rivals 19 times this year before a new format is implemented for 2023 that will feature just 14 games in the division.
The Sox will see plenty of the East early on, with one series each against the Yankees and Rays and two with the Blue Jays -- all in the first month of the schedule.
TORONTO BLUE JAYS
RECORD LAST YEAR: 91-71
PROJECTED FINISH: First.
ADDED: RHP Kevin Gausman, LHP Yusei Kikuchi, 3B Matt Chapman, RHP Yimi Garcia, OF Ramiel Tapia
LOST: 2B Marcus Semien, LHP Robbie Ray, OF Randal Grichuk.
ROOKIES TO WATCH: C Gabriel Moreno
STRENGTHS: Quality starting rotation -- with Gausman, Jose Berrios, Alek Manoah, Hyun-Jin Ryu and Kikuchi, arguably the best in the division. Their everyday lineup is relentless, and having George Springer healthy for a full season will be a huge boost. Chapman upgrades the infield defense considerably, and in Vladirmir Guerrero Jr., the Jays have the league's best players.
WEAKNESSES: The bullpen isn't as deep as some others, and there's little doubt that the Jays will miss the play and presence of Semien.
PROJECTION: The Blue Jays have been building toward this season, with a mixture of homegrown talent (Guerrero, Bo Bichette, Manoah), big free-agent acquisitions (Gausman, Springer) and smart trades (Chapman, Berrios). There's no margin for error in this division, but Toronto's time feels like it's now.
TAMPA BAY RAYS
RECORD LAST YEAR: 100-62
PROJECTED FINISH: Second
ADDED: RHP Corey Kluber, OF Luke Raley
LOST: OF Austin Meadows, INF Joey Wendle, DH Nelson Cruz, RHP Michael Wacha, RHP Brent Honeywell
ROOKIE TO WATCH: INF Isaac Paredes,
STRENGTHS: Depth of the pitching staff. The Rays seem to churn out quality arms like parts off an assembly line. There never seems to be a shortage of options, both for the rotation and the bullpen. Defensively, they're strong up the middle and in SS Wander Franco, about to enter his first full season in the majors, they have a young star with seemingly limitless potential. They're also well-managed, with Kevin Cash, a two-time MOY pick, adeptly platooning and mixing and matching to get the most from his roster.
WEAKNESSES: Payroll inflexibility means the Rays are handcuffed when needs arise in mid-season. They also have a number of key pitchers dealing with injuries to start the season.
PROJECTION: Let's start with the obvious: the Rays are always -- somehow, someway -- better than they look on paper. Expect the 2022 season to be no different in this regard. Whatever they need, they'll somehow find it internally.
NEW YORK YANKEES
RECORD LAST YEAR: 92-70
PROJECTED FINISH: Fourth
ADDED: 3B Josh Donaldson; RHP Miguel Castro; C Ben Rortvedt; SS Isiah Kiner-Falefa; UTI Marwin Gonzalez
LOST: C Gary Sanchez; INF Gio Urshela;
ROOKIE TO WATCH: RHP Clarke Schmidt
STRENGTHS: The Yankees have a menacing lineup, with lots of RH pop from Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Donaldson, and Anthony Rizzo and Joey Gallo offer left-side balance. Even without LHP Zack Britton (injured), they also possess a deep and talented bullpen. The infield defense -- especially at short -- has improved considerably.
WEAKNESSES: The starting rotation is topped by Gerrit Cole, but there's a falloff after that. Also, health is a question, given the injury histories of Donaldson, Stanton and Judge.
PROJECTION: The Yankees won't lack for runs, and the left side of the infield and behind the plate has been upgraded. But there are major questions in the rotation, and that could spell trouble in this division.
BALTIMORE ORIOLES
RECORD LAST YEAR: 52-110
PROJECTED TO FINISH: Fifth
ADDED: RHP Jordan Lyles; C Robinson Chirinos;
LOST: C Pedro Severino; INF Maikel Franco
ROOKIE TO WATCH: C Adley Rutschman; RHP Grayson Rodriguez; LHP D.L.Hall.
STRENGTHS: The emergence of Cedric Mullins was a big move forward for the O's last year, LHP John Means is a dependable starting pitcher, though it's unlikely he would qualify as a No. 1 on many other teams. Rutschman, the first overall pick from a few years ago, represents hope for the organization. Trey Mancini and Ryan Mountcastle are solid run producers.
WEAKNESSES: How long do you have? The Orioles could stand an upgrade nearly everywhere on the field, other than center field and behind the plate. The rotation -- until Rodriguez and Hall -- is very thin after Means, and the infield is in a state of flux.
PROJECTION: The rebuild is taking forever. The O's have suffered through five straight losing seasons, including three in which they lost more than 100 games. There's young talent on the way, but it look like it's going to be a while before they matter in this division.