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AL East team needs heading into winter meetings

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Welcome to theScore's MLB offseason team needs, where we'll break down every club's roster and key departures, along with how holes could be filled in free agency ahead of the winter meetings (Dec. 4-7).

NL EAST I AL CENTRAL I NL CENTRAL I AL WEST I NL WEST

Baltimore Orioles

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2022 record: 83-79 (4th in AL East)
Projected 40-man payroll: $65M
Key departures: Jesus Aguilar, Robinson Chirinos, Jordan Lyles, Rougned Odor
Needs: Starting pitching, relief pitching, shortstop

Where the lineup stands

ORDER PLAYER POSITION fWAR
1 Cedric Mullins (L) CF 3.3
2 Adley Rutschman (S) C 5.3
3 Gunnar Henderson (L) 3B 0.8
4 Anthony Santander (S) DH 2.5
5 Ryan Mountcastle 1B 1.6
6 Ramon Urias 2B 2.6
7 Kyle Stowers (L) RF 0.2
8 Austin Hays LF 1.5
9 Jorge Mateo SS 2.8

It's time to take the next step in Baltimore and complement an impressive young core. There's no huge hole in the lineup, but expect the club to jump into the star shortstop sweepstakes. Mateo hit a career-high 13 homers while also swiping 35 stolen bases. But his .646 OPS isn't good enough for an everyday shortstop, and he'd be better served in a utility bench role. Adding another corner outfielder with power would also help a club that ranked eighth in the AL in homers last season.

How the rotation looks

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ROLE PITCHER THROWS fWAR
1 Kyle Gibson R 1.8
2 Kyle Bradish R 0.7
3 Dean Kremer R 1.8
4 Tyler Wells R 0.9
5 Grayson Rodriguez R Rookie

Even with some promising arms coming through the system, improving the rotation should be the top priority. Orioles starters ranked 21st in the majors in ERA last season, and it would be a big ask to enter the campaign without any outside additions. Baltimore has a number of pieces it could use to land a top-end starter through trade or could add in free agency.

Boston Red Sox

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2022 record: 78-84 (5th in AL East)
Projected 40-man payroll: $160M
Key departures: Xander Bogaerts, Nathan Eovaldi, Rich Hill, J.D. Martinez, Tommy Pham, Matt Strahm, Michael Wacha
Needs: Starting pitching, relief pitching, shortstop, corner outfielder

Where the lineup stands

ORDER PLAYER POSITION fWAR
1 Enrique Hernandez CF 0.5
2 Rafael Devers (L) 3B 4.9
3 Trevor Story 2B 2.4
4 Triston Casas (L) 1B 0.3
5 Alex Verdugo (L) LF 1.2
6 Christian Arroyo SS 0.2
7 Eric Hosmer (L) DH -0.1
8 Rob Refsnyder RF 1.3
9 Reese McGuire (L) C 1.3

The Red Sox potentially have a lot of payroll flexibility heading into the winter, which is good because there's no shortage of holes for them to fill. The front office has repeatedly said that retaining Bogaerts is the top priority. But we're now in December, and the team is without a shortstop. Should Bogaerts leave, Boston could pivot to another one of the top free agents at the position, as Story will likely remain at second base. The team must also address an outfield that combined to hit the third-fewest home runs in MLB last season. With Martinez also departing, Devers and Story are the only players returning who hit more than 15 homers in 2022.

How the rotation looks

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ROLE PITCHER THROWS fWAR
1 Chris Sale L 0.2
2 Nick Pivetta R 1.5
3 Brayan Bello R 1.3
4 Garrett Whitlock R 1.4
5 James Paxton L DNP

Boston doesn't look like it'll be bidding for the top free-agent starters, and that could be an issue as there are major question marks in the rotation. Sale and Paxton have combined to throw 70 innings over the last three campaigns. Whitlock is coming off hip surgery and has never been a full-time starter. Bello has just 11 MLB starts under his belt. The Red Sox got burned by their lack of starting pitching depth in the middle of last season when injuries decimated their rotation. The club also needs to make a significant commitment to improving a bullpen that posted the fifth-worst ERA in the majors last campaign.

New York Yankees

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2022 record: 99-63 (1st in AL East)
Projected 40-man payroll: $220M
Key departures: Andrew Benintendi, Zack Britton, Matt Carpenter, Miguel Castro, Aroldis Chapman, Marwin Gonzalez, Chad Green, Aaron Judge, Jameson Taillon
Needs: Corner outfielder, No. 5 starter, relief pitching

Where the lineup stands

ORDER PLAYER POSITION fWAR
1 Anthony Rizzo 1B 2.4
2 Oswaldo Cabrera (S) RF 1.5
3 Gleyber Torres 2B 2.7
4 Giancarlo Stanton DH 1.2
5 Josh Donaldson 3B 1.6
6 Harrison Bader CF 1.5
7 Aaron Hicks (S) LF 1.5
8 Oswald Peraza SS 0.4
9 Jose Trevino C 3.7

The Yankees already retained one major piece by re-signing Rizzo, though Judge's future remains uncertain. This lineup looks completely different without the 62-homer man, and it appears Brian Cashman won't truly know where his offseason journey will go until Judge decides where he'll sign his next deal. Should Judge depart, New York could look to spend that money elsewhere. It could jump into the top free-agent shortstop market or acquire a left-handed bat in the outfield to balance the lineup. Regardless, it seems the Yankees will blow by the luxury-tax threshold.

How the rotation looks

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ROLE PITCHER THROWS fWAR
1 Gerrit Cole R 3.3
2 Nestor Cortes Jr. L 3.6
3 Luis Severino R 1.4
4 Frankie Montas R 2.0
5 Domingo German R 0.7

Cortes' emergence as a legitimate starter and Severino's positive return from Tommy John surgery gives New York a very solid front three when combined with Cole. The hope is that a full offseason helps Montas return healthy and work out the issues that saw him post a 6.35 ERA in eight starts with the Yankees since coming over at the trade deadline. Expect New York to add at least one other starter and should be shopping at the top of the market.

Tampa Bay Rays

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2022 record: 86-76 (3rd in AL East)
Projected 40-man payroll: $122M
Key departures: JT Chargois, Kevin Kiermaier, Corey Kluber, David Peralta, Ryan Yarbrough, Mike Zunino
Needs: Catcher, first base/DH

Where the lineup stands

ORDER PLAYER POSITION fWAR
1 Yandy Diaz 3B 3.8
2 Wander Franco (S) SS 2.3
3 Randy Arozarena LF 2.7
4 Brandon Lowe (L) 2B 0.9
5 Harold Ramirez DH 1.2
6 Manuel Margot RF 1.5
7 Jonathan Aranda (L) 1B -0.2
8 Christian Bethancourt C 1.2
9 Jose Siri CF 1.2

The Rays were a bad offensive team in 2022, ranking 21st in runs, 24th in OPS, and 25th in homers. Having Franco and Lowe return to full health would bring about big improvements internally, but the club still needs to add some outside help. The front office should have some flexibility after clearing a decent amount of payroll through some free-agent departures. Tampa made a shock run at Freddie Freeman last winter, so maybe there's another surprise waiting. The organization is also loaded with minor-league talent, possibly opening the door to swing a major trade for a cheap and controllable young player.

How the rotation looks

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ROLE PITCHER THROWS fWAR
1 Shane McClanahan L 3.5
2 Tyler Glasnow R 0.1
3 Drew Rasmussen R 2.9
4 Zach Eflin R 1.4
5 Jeffrey Springs L 3.0
6 Yonny Chirinos R DNP

Glasnow's return late last season gives the Rays arguably the best trio of starters in the majors heading into 2023. Tampa remains a pitching factory, continuing to churn out arm after arm. That depth helps the club compete despite what feels like an alarming number of injuries. The Rays made a surprise signing by adding Eflin on a three-year, $40-million deal. He'll supplement the back of the rotation and give them additional innings, as Glasnow and Chirinos will likely have their workload monitored after returning from injury.

Toronto Blue Jays

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2022 record: 92-70 (2nd in AL East)
Projected 40-man payroll: $203M
Key departures: Jackie Bradley Jr., Teoscar Hernandez, David Phelps, Ross Stripling, Raimel Tapia, Bradley Zimmer
Needs: No. 4/5 starter, relief pitching, outfielder

Where the lineup stands

ORDER PLAYER POSITION fWAR
1 George Springer CF 4.2
2 Bo Bichette SS 4.5
3 Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 1B 2.8
4 Alejandro Kirk DH 3.8
5 Matt Chapman 3B 4.1
6 Lourdes Gurriel Jr. LF 1.0
7 Danny Jansen C 2.6
8 Whit Merrifield RF 0.8
9 Santiago Espinal 2B 2.3

The Blue Jays return almost their entire lineup that finished second in OPS and fourth in runs a season ago. The club traded Hernandez and will likely look to reallocate that money toward a left-handed hitting outfielder to help balance out the lineup. Toronto should want to bring on someone who can play some center field to spell Springer. Expect the Jays to also deal one of their catchers and could shop Espinal or Cavan Biggio for some additional pitching. There are a lot of different ways the front office can improve the team.

How the rotation looks

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ROLE PITCHER THROWS fWAR
1 Kevin Gausman R 5.7
2 Alek Manoah R 4.1
3 Jose Berrios R 1.1
4 Yusei Kikuchi L -0.7
5 Mitch White R 0.6

Manoah finished as a finalist for the AL Cy Young, while Gausman earned a top-10 finish. After that, however, there are enormous question marks. Berrios posted the highest ERA of any qualified starter last season, while the Jays relegated Kikuchi to the bullpen midway through the campaign. Those two, combined with the injured Hyun Jin Ryu, are set to earn $46.6 million next season. Expect Toronto to add two starters while also looking to address its starting pitching depth at the lower levels. More swing-and-miss needs to be added to the bullpen as well. Bringing in Erik Swanson should help, but the Jays need to target another arm or two.

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