AL East

We all know that the Yankees have another solid team heading into the 2011 baseball season.  However, there is a reason why they are not the favorites this season and it is much bigger than failing to get Cliff Lee and barely attempting to get now new Boston Red Sox, Carl Crawford.

Just like the Baltimore Orioles, the Blue Jays suffer from AL East syndrome.

The Toronto Blue Jays haven’t seen the postseason since 1993.

Over the last 13 seasons, the Baltimore Orioles have been the bottom-feeders of the AL East, often referred to as the toughest division in baseball.

The O’s started last season 2-16, which added to an already-diminishing fan base at Camden Yard.

Looking for an answer, the O’s made three managerial changes. I guess third time's the charm, as Buck Showalter took over on August 1st and the O’s finally got their man.

A little while back, we did an an examination on one of the Yankees' oldest enemies, the Red Sox.

Now we're going to look in depth on one of the newest Yankees rival, the Tampa "Don't call them Devil" Rays.

The Rays got hit hard this offseason—Carl Crawford left for the rival Red Sox, Rafael Soriano left for the rival Yankees.

We are just a few days away from pitchers and catchers reporting for Spring Training.

The 2011 baseball season is getting closer and closer each day, but one thing hasn't changed yet.

The Yankees need for starting pitching.

Last week, the need got even worse when Andy Pettitte decided to retire from baseball, ending his 16-year career with the Yankees to spend more time at home with his family.

Spring training is a great opportunity to get a sense of how a player's offseason went, and what to expect in terms of improvement or regression. How a player performs during spring training often helps scouts see how players are recovering from injury or whether or not to expect a player who disappointed the previous season to bounce back.

Yes and no. 

After finishing in second place last season and not adding another world championship to their collection, the popular thought was that the Yankees would reload over the offseason. All signs pointed toward yes during their pursuit of Cliff Lee, but as it turns out, money really ISN’T everything to some people.

The New York Yankees franchise has boasted some of the greatest players of all time. Players like Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth and Thurman Munson have been clad in pinstripes and left their mark on our nation's pastime.

Creating a list of the top defensive studs who called the Bronx their home is far from an easy task. This team has such a rich history that the list could incorporate over 100 players, and that might not even be enough. 

It happens every year.

Minor league players, sometimes as young as 18, are hyped up to be the "next big thing" in baseball. 

As fans and fantasy baseball participants, we either watch these young talents blow up and become stars or unfortunately bear witness to them being thrown into the fire.