The drama of the division, however, is never confined to the regular season, as evidenced by a wild winter that saw each team undergo something dramatic.
We all know what the Red Sox were able to do in reloading the roster.
Everyone watched the rival Yankees quarrel over their captain’s contract extension and lose out on Cliff Lee.
The Tampa Bay Rays, winners of two of the last three division titles, lost a large portion of their roster before signing Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon on the same day.
Toronto is beginning the John Farrell era with some very intriguing talent, especially on the mound.
And Baltimore, which hasn’t had a winning season since 1997, brought in several veterans to mix with some pretty good youth under Buck Showalter, who guided the Orioles to a 34-23 record last year.
With the many changes, the 2011 season figures to offer us another extremely challenging and dramatic one for the AL East. Every week this season, we will explore one common item concerning each of the divisional opponents for the Red Sox.
To start it off, let’s examine the most pressing question each team faces as players begin to report to spring training.
Baltimore Orioles: Will the veteran imports make a difference?
New York Yankees: Who will emerge at the back end of the rotation?
Tampa Bay Rays: Will the bullpen come together?
Toronto Blue Jays: Can some of the big bats bounce back?
Every Saturday, NESN.com Red Sox reporter Tony Lee will look at Boston’s competition in the AL East.
