The top of the American League East featured a pair of teams in the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees that won over 100 games in 2018, including three AL East teams that won at least 90 games.

The Red Sox won a franchise record 108 games and defeated the Yankees in the ALDS on their way to a World Series title, while the Rays –despite winning 90 games thanks in part to a revolutionary “opener” strategy — could not do enough to earn a Wild Card spot.

With the Orioles in the midst of a full-blown rebuild and the Blue Jays looking to follow suit, the Red Sox, Yankees and Rays should be standouts again in what may be the most top-heavy division in all of baseball.

Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox were the best team from wire-to-wire last season, finishing the season with the best record in baseball before romping through the playoffs. In October, Boston posted an impressive 11-3 record against opponents that won a combined 295 regular season games.

Boston not only captured another World Series title, but they staked their case as one of the greatest teams in the history of the game.

Now, they'll look to be the first team to repeat as champions since the Yankees won three straight from 1998-2000.

The good news for Red Sox fans is that the roster in 2019 is practically identical to the one that claimed the World Series crown last year.

AL MVP Mookie Betts and Triple Crown threat J.D. Martinez power an offense that led the majors in runs scored last season. Young stars Andrew Benintendi and Xander Bogaerts continue to blossom as some of the top players at their respective positions, while Jackie Bradley Jr. remains a lightning rod in center field.

There's plenty of depth on the roster as well. Manager Alex Cora can platoon the likes of Mitch Moreland, Steve Pearce, Eduardo Nunez and Brock Holt along with Rafael Devers, which gives him plenty of options in the way of lineup cards and positional alignment.

Boston had the worst positional WAR at the catching position last season according to Baseball-Reference, but the rest of the lineup is dangerous, and they can always look to upgrade around the Trade Deadline.

The rotation looks the same as well after Boston brought back Nathan Eovaldi on a four-year deal. Chris Sale‘s health will always be a slight concern, but he is arguably the most electric pitcher in baseball when healthy. David Price finally has shaken his postseason woes and there is depth if they need spot starts from pitchers Eduardo Rodriguez or Steven Wright.

Although the bullpen has been hailed as a weakness and the team lost Joe Kelly to the Los Angels Dodgers in free agency, they remain in the race to re-sign closer Craig Kimbrel. Regardless, there is professed faith from the front office in pitchers Matt Barnes, Ryan Brasier and Heath Hembree to make strides.

If the bullpen holds together and the Red Sox stay healthy, it is hard to see them getting knocked off this year.

New York Yankees

The Yankees have certainly been active this off-season, though perhaps not as bold as some fans may desire.

Still, New York made some key upgrades at positions of need. They acquired James Paxton in a trade with the Seattle Mariners to bolster their rotation and signed D.J. LeMahieu to serve as a roving backup infielder. General manager Brian Cashman also brought back Zack Britton and signed Adam Ottavino to solidify a bullpen that should once again be one of the best in baseball.

The lineup is every bit as dangerous as Boston's, having scored the second-most runs in the league. And that's with Aaron Judge having missed 50 games due to injury and Gary Sanchez playing in just 89 games.

The Yankees will certainly hope for an improved Sanchez after he hit just .186 last year while enduring questions about his lack of hustle. A return to form from Sanchez could put New York over the top.

It would hardly be a surprise to see Giancarlo Stanton put up massive numbers. He struggled by his standards in April and September last season, but having already played a  full year in the Bronx should give him plenty of confidence heading into 2019.

Didi Gregorius' absence due to Tommy John surgery is a setback, but Gleyber Torres can move over to short in the meantime, with LeMahieu, who is arguably the best defensive second baseman in the Majors handling the keystone should the Troy Tulowitzki experiment prove ineffective.

Miguel Andujar can rake, but the third baseman could become a candidate to be used as trade bait at the Trade Deadline should the Yankees seek to bolster their starting rotation.

Speaking of the rotation, Paxton is a fantastic addition. He gives New York a third lefty on their starting staff and his peripherals suggest that he has ace potential. Paxton posted the highest K/9 (11.7) of his career last year.

Luis Severino was totally dominant in the first half last year before a rocky July and August stretch brought him back to earth. But his velocity and stuff still make him an AL Cy Young candidate in 2019.

Masahiro Tanaka, C.C. Sabathia and J.A. Happ round out the rotation for New York, at least for the time being. The Yankees could absolutely look for pitching help at the Trade Deadline should injuries strike.

The bullpen, on the other hand, is elite. New York easily runs seven guys deep, and adding Ottavino to the mix only strengthens a back end that now reads Ottavino-Britton-Betances-Chapman.

Realistically, New York's chances at dethroning the Red Sox will come down to their rotation. If the back end can hold together, they should top 100 wins again and have a legitimate chance to win the division.

Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays were the surprise team of baseball last season, finishing with 90 wins. Manager Kevin Cash‘s usage of the “opener”– beginning games with a reliever on the mound – -has been the cause for much debate in league circles moving forward. The strategy was just one of the many nuances that the Rays threw at opponents last season.

Tampa Bay will need their young talent to succeed in a hurry if they hope to repeat the success they had in 2018.

One of those young stars has already established himself as one of the best pitchers in baseball. Blake Snell led the Majors in wins (21) and ERA+ (219) en route to capturing the AL Cy Young in 2018. Though there will be expected regression, he will once again anchor a pretty thin traditional starting rotation.

Willy Adames, Austin Meadows and Yandy Diaz will all need to take big strides offensively in expanded roles. Adames in particular looked like a potential star last year after posting a solid 109 wRC+ and hitting 10 homers in 288 at-bats.

Meanwhile, Meadows and Diaz will be thrown straight into the mix. Neither player topped more than 200 plate appearances last season, but will almost certainly be asked to do so this year.

The youngsters are flanked by Joey Wendle and veterans Tommy Pham, Matt Duffy and Kevin Kiermaier.

The Rays also acquired Mike Zunino to serve as their catcher and brought in Avisail Garcia to split DH duties with Ji-Man Choi.

Charlie Morton was a necessary signing for Tampa Bay, but the rotation still faces questions. Can Tyler Glasnow make improvements in his third full season in the majors, especially as a starter? When will prospect Brent Honeywell be ready for big league action?

Sergio Romo departs from the bullpen unit, but the Rays still have Jose Alvarado and Ryne Stanek at their disposal. They will also hope for continued improvement from Jalen Beeks, whom they acquired in the Nathan Eovaldi trade from last season.

Tampa Bay certainly has talent, but they may be asking too much too soon from their youngsters. They should still be competitive, but eclipsing their 90-win total from last season seems like a reach.

Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays were thought to be sellers this off-season after engaging multiple teams in trade talks for starters Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez. But Stroman and Sanchez remain on a roster that looks to be in flux. On the plus side, the Jays have breakout candidates like Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Billy McKinney.

But they are also stuck with veterans who have likely already reached their pinnacle, such as Justin Smoak, Kendrys Morales and Kevin Pillar.

Even with Stroman and Sanchez in the fold, the rotation is thin, though Ryan Borucki looks like a promising lefty. But the move to sign Clayton Richard, who had a 5.33 ERA in 27 starts last season, to add rotational depth could mean the team is in more trouble than they anticipated.

It is a pretty safe bet to assume that the Blue Jays will explore all trade options all the way up to the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline.

The most promising thing about this year could be the arrival of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the Majors, alongside fellow prospect Danny Jansen, who arrived on the scene last season. Both are two of the very best prospects in the game, and should keep fans entertained all year long.

Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles will almost certainly repeat as one the worst teams in baseball in 2019. Their big league roster is shallow and their rotation is full of arms that have failed to live up to their expectations at this point.

Additionally, the club has only a middling farm system to speak of. But Yusniel Diaz (acquired from the Dodgers in the Manny Machado trade) has serious power and could develop into a superstar somewhere down the line.

It could be a long few years of losing in Baltimore, but they will stock up top draft choices in the process.

Prediction: Order of finish and records

  1. Red Sox, 103-59
  2. Yankees, 101-61
  3. Rays, 86-76
  4. Blue Jays, 75-87
  5. Orioles, 47-115