AL East

After insisting on a three year deal but ultimately failing to land one, first baseman Adam LaRoche agreed to resign with the Washington Nationals for a two year deal with a mutual third year option.

The American League East is the most competitive division in baseball. From this division, the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles made the playoffs last October. The Tampa Bay Rays came up just short in their playoff push, but have competed for the division crown in each of the past five seasons.

The five-time Atlantic League Champion Somerset Patriots have hired Shane Spencer as their hitting and third base coach. For those who don’t remember, Shane Spencer was in large part responsible for one of the greatest playoff moments in the history of the game.

The Boston Red Sox need to finalize their deal with Mike Napoli.

The Boston Red Sox made several free-agent signings so far this offseason. The moves have transformed the team from losers to borderline contenders in 2013.

However, if Ben Cherington truly wants to get back to playing in October, he will have to make at least one significant trade.

The Red Sox still have holes to fill for both the short and long term.

Fortunately, the farm system seems to be somewhat stocked with talent that is close to major league-ready.

This talent allows them to make trades for impact players.

What a long way the Toronto Blue Jays starting rotation has come this offseason.

Three fifths of the projected rotation for 2013 has been acquired via trade.

Right-handed pitcher Junichi Tazawa was a rare bright spot last season in the bullpen for the Boston Red Sox, giving every sign of being the team’s closer of the future.

Two years ago, the New York Yankees made a bold move at the trade deadline.

They acquired long-time slugger Lance Berkman from the Houston Astros for unknown prospects and at the time, it seemed like a steal of a trade.

Once the Boston Red Sox figure things out with Mike Napoli—they may need to get the UN involved soon—all the big items on their offseason checklist will have been taken care of.

It’s been a long time since Roberto Alomar manned second base for the Toronto Blue Jays, and boy do they miss him. What was once a point of strength and consistency for the ballclub has become a revolving cast of players.