It’s Red Sox vs. Yankees for AL East pitching supremacy

Playing in the American League East is the worst. It’s an absolute gauntlet every year, with 2026 looking to be no exception. That’s at least in part due to the quality of the starting pitching.

The Red Sox have one of the better groups in the division, if not Major League Baseball. I’ll give Boston the top spot in the division for a variety of reasons, including my own biases. It’s the deepest rotation in the East with a legitimate ace, proven veterans, and promising young arms.

I already went in-depth on the Red Sox rotation options. Now, here’s a look at the other rotations in the division.

Note: The first five names on each list are what Roster Resource provides as the opening day rotation. I added a few more names that I think are worth talking about. If I missed anyone, keep it to yourself because this is very thorough.

New York Yankees

Unfortunately, the only team that can probably challenge the Red Sox for the best rotation in the division is the pinstripe-wearing freaks over in New York. I give us an edge due to the depth, but the Yankees’ depth is undeniable.

Max Fried – Fried throws strikes at a high rate, limits hard contact, and has multiple breaking balls to put hitters away with. He’s not flashy, but he’s incredibly effective.

Cam Schlittler – I was taught not to say anything at all if I don’t have anything nice to say. He should be good to go for opening day, but is dealing with a back injury. I didn’t research the cause of the injury, but I can only assume it was due to shoveling snow in South Boston or a fight over a space saver.

Will Warren – Warren has great stuff, but the command isn’t there yet. If he figures out how to spot a fastball at the top of the zone, he could be dangerous.

Ryan Weathers – If Ryan Weathers played for the Red Sox, I’d be the conductor of the hype train, but he plays for the Yankees, so I’ll quietly admire from afar.

Luis Gil – Gil lost a tick of velocity across the board and saw his numbers fall off as a result. He also doesn’t throw enough strikes for me to be a fan. If his fastball velocity comes back, he could be a nice piece, but if it doesn’t, he doesn’t scare me. Unfortunately, Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon will join this rotation at some point and upgrade the group to one of the better in the league.

Gerrit Cole – Cole hasn’t pitched since 2024 due to an elbow injury and is targeting a May or June return to action. Who knows how effective he’ll be after a major elbow injury, but he’s a former Cy Young-winning pitcher who’s reportedly up to 97 mph in simulated games. At his best, he’s up there with Crochet as the best pitcher in the division.

Carlos Rodon – Rodon also had (minor) elbow surgery that’s kept him out of Spring Training action, and will start the season on the injured list. He was great last season, but has a lengthy injury history and saw his fastball lose a tick from 2024 to 2025. If it falls further, he could start to struggle. The pitch already wasn’t great against righties, who could give him issues if he doesn’t have a viable fastball.

Carlos Lagrange – I don’t know a lot about Carlos Lagrange, but I know that he’s being hyped up by people whose opinion I respect. Every time I hear him mentioned, his max velocity is higher. I’m pretty sure he throws 108 mph. If he debuts this season, he’s one to watch.

Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles lack depth, but they have a solid combination of experience and potential. While I’m not sure how it will hold up over 162, there’s plenty to like here. Fangraphs has Baltimore using a six-man rotation, with Cade Povich starting the year in Triple-A. I don’t know if that’s actually how it will shake out, but all of these guys will make an appearance at one point or another.

Trevor Rogers – Rogers has to be so frustrating to face. On paper none of his stuff is that crazy, but he throws everything for strikes and commands the ball so well. If he stays healthy, he’ll be in the thick of the Cy Young race.

Kyle Bradish – I’m not sure what to make of Bradish. Some analysts I really respect like him a lot, and he struck out an absurd 37% of hitters last season. I just don’t know that his arsenal is enough to get lefties out consistently. He spins it well, but I don’t believe in the fastballs. I guess his four-seam is cutter-ish, but I don’t buy it. I’ll come back to this after his first few starts next season.

Chris Bassitt – Bassitt throws like twelve different pitches, and none of them work against lefties. He’s an inning-eating, strike-throwing arm, but another guy I’m not at all afraid of. I copied and pasted those two sentences from last year’s starting pitching preview, and they remain true today.

Shane Baz – The Rays are known for moving on from a pitcher early, but Baz is a head-scratcher. He throws 97 mph with a good curveball and a decent changeup. He’s only had one healthy season, but he’s a clear breakout candidate.

Zach Eflin – If Eflin is healthy, he’ll have an ERA near four and be the perfect inning eater at the back of a rotation thanks to his kitchen-sink approach.

Dean Kremer – Kremer? I hardly know her! He’ll throw 160 innings with a 4.20 ERA, and the Orioles will be happy about it. Good splitter (I hardly know her), not much else to write home about.

Cade Povich – I don’t know what to make of Povich. He was hit hard last season, but still managed a 24% strikeout rate without premium velocity. When I look at the numbers, I don’t see a pitcher who is going to repeat that strikeout rate, but he looked totally different in his first Spring Training start. His fastball had more cut, which could help miss barrels, but it’s still only 91. I think there’s a potential inning-eater here, but I don’t see him being much better than Kremer.

Tyler Wells – In 2023, Wells put together a good season supported by a solid four-pitch mix. He hasn’t been healthy since then, so who knows if that still exists.

Tornoto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays come in fourth in my division rankings. Gausman and Cease are as good a one-two punch as anyone in the division, but the rest of the staff has question marks and injuries are already piling up. If they put together a first half like they did last season, they’re prime candidates to make an addition to this group again.

Kevin Gausman – Early last season, I sat in my living room explaining to my roommates that if Gausman wasn’t showing low fastballs, opponents wouldn’t chase his splitter. As I was doing this, he spotted a few low fastballs and went on to strike out ten Red Sox hitters over eight innings. As long as the fastball velocity holds up and he keeps the same approach, he’ll have a 25% strikeout rate and ERA in the mid-threes.

Dylan Cease – I like Dylan Cease, but I’m really glad the Red Sox didn’t pay him. He’s got a great fastball and a great slider, but he hasn’t found the third pitch to throw for strikes to keep the walk rate down. He punches his way out of jams, but when the velocity goes, that contract could look ugly. Maybe the Blue Jays will be the team to find a cutter that works for him. Dylan Cease with Kutter Crawford’s cutter would be pretty unhittable.

Trey Yesavage – Yesavage was one of the main characters of the 2025 postseason, rising through the minor leagues and dominating in the playoffs. His ultra-high release point provides a unique look for opponents, though I wonder if his fastball will be punished as hitters become familiar.

Jose Berrios – Berrios wasn’t happy to get pushed out of the playoff rotation last season, but some injuries helped him find his way back. The stuff doesn’t scare you, but he always seems to find a way to keep the Red Sox’s bats quiet.

Cody Ponce – He’s back in the states after some time in Japan and Korea. I won’t pretend to know what tweaks he made over there that earned him $30 million USD, but the Blue Jays clearly like what they saw.

Shane Bieber – When Shane Bieber opted in to his deal for 2026, I think there was collective surprise that he didn’t want to test free agency. It later came out that he was dealing with forearm fatigue, and his decision made more sense. He was solid at the end of last season, but was hit hard. His slider has always been his best pitch and carried his arsenal, although declining velocity could hurt.

Max Scherzer – Scherzer signed for $3 million to repeat what he did last season. He’ll return at some point this summer and provide innings down the stretch. He was snakebit by the home run last season, but he’s still a competitor at 41 years old. Baseball is better when Max Scherzer and his crazy eyes are in the league, so I’m a fan.

Ricky Tiedemann – Tiedemann was (and still is) a highly ranked prospect, hoping to crack the rotation after Tommy John Surgery. He still could, but he’s fighting elbow soreness again. He’s a potential late-season reinforcement if he can get healthy.

Tampa Bay Rays

I’m going to rank the Rays last because the depth is lacking. The top-end talent is there, and I’m sure there will be someone I’ve never heard of who shows up and is excellent for five innings at a time, but I don’t know who that will be.

Drew Rasmussen – Rasmussen throws a four-seam, sinker, and cutter to keep hitters on their heels. He’s in the zone a ton and throws strikes at a rate near the top of the league. He’ll get you through five innings on 75 pitches and hit the bench because they won’t let him throw more than that. I can’t help but feel like they can get more out of him, but I’ll accept that the Rays know better than me.

Ryan Pepiot – Pepiot has a great fastball and a good changeup. His slider is a clear third offering, but has potential. Refined command could see him jump to the next level.

Shane McClanahan – He hasn’t pitched since 2023. He was electric at his best, but my lasting memory of McClanahan is him assaulting a chair when he walked down the tunnel after a bad postseason outing in Fenway in 2021.

Nick Martinez – The Rays are definitely going to do something weird with Martinez. He’s at 20% changeup usage now, but that’s gonna wind up at 30%, and they’re gonna have him throwing that bullet slider or something. He’s basically just new Zack Littell, I think.

Steven Matz – He’s listed as the Rays’ fifth starter on Roster Resource. Is that confirmed? They’re always up to some freaky stuff over there in Tampa.

Joe Boyle – Boyle throws absolute gas, and doesn’t always know where it’s going. He’s like Mason Miller if Mason Miller were blind. He’ll have days where he’s controlling his fastball, and things go well, and others where it’s a complete disaster.

Ian Seymour – This is the guy you’ve never heard of that will be remarkably frustrating to face. Solid fastball despite mediocre velocity thanks to good location, as well as a good sweeper to throw to lefties and a changeup for righties. He’s in the zone plenty and has an annoying windup that will have many of you asking for Alex Cora to be fired because they can’t hit this weirdo. He’s a deep league fantasy sleeper I’m buying.

Tiers

Here are all 40 names I covered, grouped into tiers. Feel free to yell at me in the comments because I didn’t succumb to peer pressure about Dylan Cease, or because I did succumb to peer pressure about Kyle Bradish. The order inside the tier isn’t a ranking, just the order I moved them from my master list to the tiers I made up, for the record. Thanks for reading.