Yankees, Rays, Red Sox: A Three Team Race for the AL East

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NEW YORK - JULY 15: A general view of an American flag on the field during the 79th MLB All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium on July 15, 2008 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

The AL East will most likely feature the top three teams in all of Major League Baseball in 2009. The Yanks, Sox, and Rays will be battling it out for two playoff spots, with the loser watching the postseason from home.

All three teams are good very good—but who's the best?

Certainly, the winners will be a result of the whole exceeding the sum of their parts, but let's take a look at those parts and see who comes out ahead.

C

2 Apr 2001: Jorge Posada #20 of the New York Yankees hits a home run against the Kansas City Royals on Opening Day at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York. The Yankees won 7-3. Digital Image. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Squire/ALLSPORT

Dioner Navaro is good, but Jorge Posada is still better. Five years ago, Varitek would be in the discussion, but no more.

1. Yanks
2. Rays
3. Sox

1B

TAMPA, FL - FEBRUARY 28: Infielder Mark Teixeira #25 of the New York Yankees prepares for a play against the Minnesota Twins during a Grapefruit League Spring Training Game at George M. Steinbrenner Field on February 28, 2009 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo b

Youk had a breakout power season last year for the Sox, and Carlos Pena has found a consistent power stroke for the Rays. Judging by the Sox' interest in Tex this offseason, it's hard to deny that Tex is the cream of the 1B crop.

1. Tex
2. Youk
3. Pena

2B

ST PETERSBURG, FL - OCTOBER 19: Dustin Pedroia #15 of the Boston Red Sox walks to first base after being hit by a pitch from pitcher Matt Garza #22 of the Tampa Bay Rays in game seven of the American League Championship Series during the 2008 MLB playoff

The reigning AL MVP is certainly the pick here. Cano has the ability to be just as good, but has yet to show he can perform at that level with any consistency. Akinori Iwamura is a nice player, but nowhere near as good as the other two.

1. Pedroia
2. Cano
3. Iwamura

SS

8 May 1999: Derek Jeter #2 of the New York Yankees at bat during the game against the Detroit Tigers at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. The Tigers defeated the Yankees 8-2. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Squire /Allsport

Yeah, he's 35. Yes, he has shown some decline, but he is still Derek Jeter.

1. Jeter (Yanks)
2. Bartlett (Rays)
3. Lugo/Lowrie (Sox)

3B

TAMPA, FL - FEBRUARY 28: Infielder Alex Rodriguez #13 of the New York Yankees fouls off a pitch against the Minnesota Twins during a Grapefruit League Spring Training game at George M. Steinbrenner Field on February 28, 2009 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by

Even assuming A-Rod's health, this one is much closer than most would expect. Evan Longoria is a stud. The Rays signed Longoria long term before he even played in the major leagues, and it proved an excellent gamble. While it might be the last year that this is the case, A-Rod gets the nod over Longoria due to a long history of production. As for the Sox, their pursuit of Teixeira during this offseason was a sign that they are not confident that Mike Lowell can have another productive season at third base.

1. A-Rod
2. Longoria
3. Lowell

LF

ST PETERSBURG, FL - OCTOBER 18: Carl Crawford #13 of the Tampa Bay Rays hits a single against the Boston Red Sox in the fourth inning of game six of the American League Championship Series during the 2008 MLB playoffs on October 18, 2008 at Tropicana Fie

Both Jason Bay and Johnny Damon are excellent players. If offered Carl Crawford in a straight-up trade, however, both Yankee and Red Sox fans would pull the trigger in a heartbeat. A .300+ average, ~50 steals, and plenty of pop, Crawford is the best of the three.

1. Crawford
2. Bay
3. Damon

CF

PHILADELPHIA - OCTOBER 26: B.J. Upton #2 of the Tampa Bay Rays bats against the Philadelphia Phillies during game four of the 2008 MLB World Series on October 26, 2008 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty I

Not turning 25 until August, BJ Upton is still getting better. Upton hit 24 home runs in 2007 and stole 44 bases in 2008. Look for 2009 to be the year he puts it together and becomes the No. 1 center fielder in all of baseball.

1. Upton
2. Ellsbury
3. Gardner/Cabrera

RF

BOSTON - JULY 26: Xavier Nady #29 of the New York Yankees bats against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park July 26, 2008 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Yankees defeated the Red Sox 10-3. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Surprisingly, right field is a relatively weak spot for all three teams. Xavier Nady will probably split time with Nick Swisher for the Yanks, JD Drew is already hurt (again), and Matt Joyce doesn't exactly instill fear in the opposition.

The most consistently productive of the group is Nady.

1. Nady
2. Drew
3. Joyce

Starting Rotation

TAMPA, FL - FEBRUARY 14: Pitcher CC Sabathia #52 of the New York Yankees during a Spring Training workout at the George M. Steinbrenner Field on February 14, 2009 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images)

This is where the biggest debates will lie. Each rotation has both health and performance question marks. Likewise, each rotation has the ability to be dominant from top to bottom. For my purposes here, let's assume health for each group of five slated to start the season.

Yanks
CC Sabathia
Chien Ming Wang
A.J. Burnett
Andy Pettitte
Joba Chamberlain

Rays
James Shields
Scott Kazmir
Matt Garza
David Price
Andy Sonnanstine

Sox
Josh Beckett
Daisuke Matsuzaka
Jon Lester
Tim Wakefield
Brad Penny

I give the edge here to the Yanks. CC is arguably the best pitcher in MLB not named Johan and is better and more consistent than both Beckett and Shields, and both Matsuzaka and Kazmir have had issues with walks and base-runners.

When comparing the bottom three starters of each rotation, Lester might be the best of the bunch, but has only done it one year and needs to prove he will not regress. The power arms of Chamberlain and Burnett give the Yankee rotation the ability to dominate from top to bottom.

1. Yanks
2. Rays
3. Sox

Bullpen

CLEVELAND - OCTOBER 18: Closing pitcherJonathan Papelbon #58 of the Boston Red Sox delivers against the Cleveland Indians during Game Five of the American League Championship Series at Jacobs Field on October 18, 2007 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Red Sox won

If we are only comparing closers, no one supplants Mariano the great yet. If anyone is going to, however, it's Jonathan Papelbon. The addition of Takashi Saito will be a significant one for the Sox, I believe, and when coupled with Okajima and Delcarmen, he gives the Sox the best 'pen.

1. Sox
2. Yanks
3. Rays

...and the winner is

Assigning a 3/2/1 point basis to each position battle, the yanks score 24 and the Rays and Sox tie at 18. As I mentioned at the beginning, part of the beauty of baseball is that the whole exceeds the sum of the parts in winning teams. This is one place where the Yanks failed last season.

While it pretty much means nothing, the Yanks come out ahead when comparing the three teams position by position.

I'm sure many will disagree with a lot I wrote—what do you think? Where is my assessment wrong?