Spring Training Job Battles: AL East

With spring training ramping up, there will be plenty of starting gigs on the line, some of which will have significant fantasy implications. I'll be canvassing the American League, while Erik Halterman will handle the National League. We'll break these down division by division, and first up is the AL East.

Editor's note: the number in parenthesis is the player's NFBC ADP since 2/1

Baltimore Orioles

Shortstop/Second Base: Jackson Holliday (191), Jordan Westburg (332) Jorge Mateo (631), Ramon Urias (739)

One of the most closely watched players this spring will be Holliday, the consensus top prospect in all of baseball. He just turned 20 in December but is on the precipice of the big leagues after racing through four levels in 2023 in his first full pro season, slashing .323/.442/.499 with 12 homers and 24 steals along the way. Holliday's season-ending stop at Triple-A Norfolk was easily his least productive of the four (.728 OPS) and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him head back there for more seasoning. However, he could still be the Orioles' best option at either shortstop or, perhaps more likely, second base, where Holliday is expected to spend a large chunk of his time this spring. The Prospect Promotion Incentive could also spur Baltimore to give Holliday a roster spot. If Holliday begins the year at Norfolk, it would likely mean Mateo at shortstop and Westburg at second base. Mateo could also see some playing time in center field versus lefties, while Westburg will get reps at short and third base.

First Base/Designated Hitter: Ryan Mountcastle (239), Ryan O'Hearn (500), Heston Kjerstad (621), Ramon Urias (739)

This could be fairly straightforward, at least at the beginning of the season. O'Hearn earned a regular spot in the lineup versus right-handed pitching with his surprising showing in 2023, and Mountcastle should be an everyday guy. The two could alternate between first base and DH against righties, with Adley Rutschman getting some starts at DH versus lefties. On those days, Mountcastle would handle first base and James McCann would catch. Kjerstad could throw a wrench into the plans, though, as the 25-year-old has some of the best raw power on the club. He looms as a threat to O'Hearn, in particular, should the latter revert to his pre-2023 career numbers (219/.293/.390).

Fourth/Fifth Starter: Tyler Wells (384), Cole Irvin (708), Bruce Zimmermann (748)

A week ago, this wouldn't have been a competition. Unfortunately, though, the Orioles need two starters to fill in at least for a little while for Kyle Bradish (elbow) and John Means (elbow). Manager Brandon Hyde quickly named Wells and Irvin as the favorites to step in. Wells was actually the team's best starter in the first half of last season when he held a 3.18 ERA, but he fell apart in a hurry, spending some time in the minors before rebounding in relief late in the year. It remains to be seen what kind of workload he can handle, but if he's healthy he should make for a fine fill-in. Irvin was acquired from the Athletics last winter after making 30-plus starts two years in a row, but he wound up making just 12 starts for the O's in an up-and-down year. He did finish strong, though, and should be able to hold off Zimmermann, who spent most of 2023 at Norfolk.

Boston Red Sox

Center Field/Right Field: Jarren Duran (159), Ceddanne Rafaela (469), Wilyer Abreu (504), Rob Refsnyder (ND)

The only guy here guaranteed regular playing time is Duran, who was named last week by manager Alex Cora as the club's leadoff hitter. Whether Duran handles center field or right field is in question, as Rafaela will compete for the center field gig and Cora seemed to indicate he might even prefer Rafaela to win it. If he does, that would mean Duran shifts over to right, as the preference looks to be to keep new acquisition Tyler O'Neill in left field. Rafaela can also handle shortstop and second base, but the expectation is that he'll either be in center field or at Triple-A Worcester to start the season. If Duran stiff-arms Rafaela in center, it would point to an Abreu/Refsnyder platoon in right, with the former on the strong side. Abreu was impressive in his brief look with the big club last season, collecting an .862 OPS over 28 contests.

Fifth Starter: Garrett Whitlock (459), Tanner Houck (530), Josh Winckowski (715)

Much to the chagrin of Red Sox fans, the club seems content to fill this spot from within rather than splurge on another free-agent hurler who could pitch at the top of the rotation. Houck is the only one of the above trio who was a full-time starter last season, but his results were uneven, at best, and he's usually far better in relief. Whitlock seems better suited to start, but the Red Sox tried that at the beginning of last year and he struggled and got injured before eventually moving back to the bullpen. Winckowski seemed to find a home as a multi-inning reliever in 2023, but he has extensive starting experience and will be stretched out this spring.

New York Yankees

Catcher: Austin Wells (330), Jose Trevino (650)

Wells showed off his pop during a 19-game sample with the Yankees last season, hitting four home runs, and the team also seemed impressed (at least publicly) with his defense and handling of the pitching staff. That should give the 24-year-old the leg up for the lion's share of starts behind the dish for the Bronx Bombers, but don't count out Trevino, who was an All-Star and Gold Glove-winner in 2022. Trevino is fully recovered from last year's wrist surgery, but he recently suffered a calf strain which will slow him early on in spring training. Ben Rortvedt is also still around and is out of options, but he'll only get a shot if the Yanks decide Wells isn't ready or Trevino's injury lingers. The batting average could be ugly, but Wells has enough pop to be relevant in fantasy leagues even if he winds up in a timeshare with Trevino.

Tampa Bay Rays

Shortstop: Junior Caminero (246), Amed Rosario (413), Jose Caballero (475), Taylor Walls (628), Osleivis Basabe (747) 

There's one notable name missing from the above list, of course, in Wander Franco. Franco's legal situation doesn't appear to have an end in sight, so the Rays will need to find someone to play shortstop indefinitely. The duties often fell to Walls last year, but he'll have a delayed start to the season following last October's hip surgery. Caminero is the Rays' top prospect and one of the top prospects in all of baseball, but the feeling seems to be that the 20-year-old a) could use more seasoning and b) is probably best suited for third base. With Caminero likely headed to Triple-A Durham, at least initially, Caballero looks like the leader in the clubhouse to handle shortstop on Opening Day. Acquired in an offseason trade from the Mariners, Caballero has very little pop but has some wheels and on-base skills. With impending multi-position eligibility and some stolen base chops, Caballero should be considered in deep leagues if he plays regularly. The Rays added Rosario in late February, and with a career .806 OPS against left-handers and .670 OPS versus righties, he seems ideally suited for the short side of a platoon. That could come at the expense of Caballero, but given Rosario's shortcomings defensively at shortstop, he might eat into Brandon Lowe's playing time at second base more frequently.

Designated Hitter: Jonathan Aranda (645), Harold Ramirez (655)

Ramirez's name has been bandied about in trade rumors this offseason and, frankly, it's a bit of a surprise that he hasn't been dealt by now. It could still happen, of course, but as things currently stand Ramirez is set to compete with Aranda for at-bats at DH. Ramirez sports a nifty .306/.348/.432 batting line during his two seasons in Tampa Bay, but much of that production has come against left-handers, so a platoon here would make sense. Aranda has just a .656 OPS across 66 games with the Rays, but the club seems eager to find out if the .328/.421/.565 he's slashed at Triple-A Durham can carry over to the majors with steady playing time. Ramirez is capable of playing first base and corner outfield, and Aranda can handle all infield positions but shortstop. However, while both should see some action in the field, the Rays seem to view both as defensive liabilities who are best suited for DH.

Fourth/Fifth Starter: Ryan Pepiot (200), Shane Baz (209), Taj Bradley (257), Naoyuki Uwasawa (744)

The most interesting aspect of this "battle" is that one of the spots is even a battle at all. Baz is now 17 months removed from Tommy John surgery, which means he'll be 18 months cleared of the operation come Opening Day. And yet, when he will make his season debut seems to be very much up in the air. Baz will begin the season at extended spring training before eventually going out on a rehab assignment. His absence creates a clear opportunity for both Pepiot and Bradley, with Uwasawa also in the mix. Pepiot was acquired from the Dodgers in the Tyler Glasnow trade and is coming off an impressive (albeit abbreviated) showing in 2023. He offers upside in fantasy especially if his control improvement holds, but there will be workload restrictions after an oblique injury limited him to 64.2 innings last season. Bradley is similarly talented but is coming off an uneven 2023, having struck out 129 over 104.2 frames but with a 5.59 ERA and 1.39 WHIP.

Toronto Blue Jays

Second Base/Third Base: Justin Turner (237), Davis Schneider (490), Cavan Biggio (555), Isaiah Kiner-Falefa (636), Orelvis Martinez (699), Eduardo Escobar (740), Santiago Espinal (749)

The Blue Jays fancy themselves contenders but at the moment appear set for a patchwork job at both second and third base. The 39-year-old Turner would seemingly be a fine one-year stop-gap at third base since he looks to be defying the aging curve, but Toronto appears to be viewing him mostly as a full-time DH who could see only spot duty at the hot corner. Escobar inked a minor-league deal last week. The 35-year-old is coming off a dreadful 2023 campaign, but he still seems like a good bet to make the Opening Day roster and could even be the favorite to start at third base initially. Schneider seemingly has earned a long look at second base after he posted a robust 1.008 OPS in 35 games last season, but recent comments from manager John Schneider (no relation) seemed to indicate the 25-year-old could be behind Biggio, Kiner-Falefa and Espinal in the pecking order. Expect a lot of mixing and matching here.

Fifth Starter: Alek Manoah (343), Yariel Rodriguez (628)

Manoah is coming off one of the most disappointing fantasy seasons in recent memory, as the 26-year-old has gone from Cy Young vote-getter to battling for a rotation spot in a year's time. He does appear likely to be given another shot in said spot, and to his credit Manoah has shown up to spring training seemingly motivated and in better shape. Rodriguez signed a $32 million contract over the offseason and could push Manoah. The problem is the right-hander didn't pitch anywhere in 2023 and was used mostly in relief in Japan for three years prior to that. Rodriguez will be stretched out as a starter this spring, but realistically he's probably looking at more of a long-relief role for the time being, if he's part of the Opening Day roster.

Catcher: Alejandro Kirk (282), Danny Jansen (283)

It's another year spent trying to figure out how the playing time is going to break down between these two. Kirk looked like he was ready to separate himself when he won a Silver Slugger award in 2022, but he regressed in a major way last season, managing just a .692 OPS with eight homers in 123 games. He did play more than Jansen, but that was due in part to Jansen getting hurt again and also Kirk seeing ample time in the DH spot. With the aforementioned Turner around, DH at-bats may no longer be there for Kirk, or at least not in plentiful numbers. That puts a dent in his rebound potential, but it must be pointed out that he's still just 25 and a year ago at this time looked like a budding star. As for Jansen, he was productive again when healthy with a .786 OPS and 17 long balls over 86 contests, but he's still never reached 400 plate appearances in a season and only once played 100 games (and that was in 2019).