The New York Yankees enter the 2025 MLB season under the spotlight, with injuries being the biggest storyline. It remains to be seen how they will navigate these setbacks throughout the year.
For now, the Yankees appear to be favorites to win the AL East for the second straight season, but there are teams that could challenge them. New York lost outfielders Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo this offseason. Gerrit Cole is out for the season after Tommy John surgery, Luis Gil is sidelined until June with a lat strain, and Giancarlo Stanton may not play at all in 2025.
Without Juan Soto, Yahoo Sports Predicts Someone Other Than Yankees Wins AL East
Yahoo Sports writer Jake Mintz shared his AL East predictions for the upcoming season. The Yankees have a 63.0% chance to make the playoffs and a 31.1% chance to win the division. Meanwhile, the Boston Red Sox have a 56.5% chance to reach the postseason and a 24.1% chance to win the AL East.
The Baltimore Orioles hold a 47.7% chance of making the playoffs and an 18.3% chance to win the division. Finally, the Tampa Bay Rays sit at 36.6% for a postseason berth and 11.8% to win the division, while the Toronto Blue Jays have a 41.3% chance at the playoffs and 14.4% to win the AL East.
There’s no question that the AL East remains one of MLB’s toughest divisions. Last season, New York and Baltimore both reached the postseason, but this year, three or even four teams could be in the mix.
And Mintz believes, despite their injury concerns, the Yankees will be fine.
“The Yankees miss Soto much more than they miss Cole, but [Aaron] Judge does enough to carry the supporting cast to 90 wins and a wild-card berth. [Anthony] Volpe emerges, and [Jazz] Chisholm is solid, but the rest of the lineup underwhelms. It’s a decent, ultimately disappointing Yankees season that pushes the franchise one year closer to ending the Judge Era without a ring.”
With Soto gone, the Yankees will have to rely heavily on Aaron Judge. New York’s lineup lacks depth, but its pitching staff should hold up despite Cole and Gil being out. However, Mintz thinks this opens the door for Boston to steal the division title.
“How and when Sox leadership opts to call upon their vaunted prospect trio should be fascinating. It has been difficult to figure out how skipper Alex Cora is going to make all these pieces fit together, but guess what? That’s a first-world problem. Having a lot of talented ballplayers is a good thing. Somebody (or somebodies) will get hurt and create an opening (or openings). But if this team stays healthy, I think it wins the AL East.”
The Red Sox made major moves this offseason, signing Walker Buehler and Alex Bregman in free agency. They also traded for starting pitcher Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox. With Trevor Story, Rafael Devers, and Bregman all healthy, Boston has a strong chance to make noise this season.
Additionally, the Red Sox have top prospects ready to make an immediate impact, making them a serious threat in the division.