Jacoby Ellsbury's return is huge for Boston. (Creative Commons)

But following some offseason shakeups, the American League East promises to serve up the excitement the rest of the league has come to expect from the division. 

Here's a team-by-team look at the most hotly debated division in baseball:

Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays ended 2010 by taking the division title and proving yet again that they deserve to be in the conversation with perennial contenders Boston and New York.

That was last year.

This year Tampa Bay has exactly two terrific players: 2010 Gold Glove winner Evan Longoria (third base) and David Price, their left-handed ace. 

They’re two men any team would be lucky to have, to be sure, but two players can’t carry a baseball team. Not in the AL East. 

Price is backed by what looks like a solid starting rotation of proven winners and one highly touted rookie, Jeremy Hellickson.

That’s pretty much where the good news ends, though. The bullpen is uncertain, so uncertain that four spots remain unfilled. The lone reliever returning from last season, Adam Sonnanstine, finished 2010 with a 4.44 ERA he’d probably like to forget.

Equally touch-and-go are the position players. Aside from B.J. Upton, who should provide consistent if unspectacular play in center field and at the plate, manager Joe Maddon is relying a core of old guys (see Manny Ramirez, Johnny Damon) and untested role players (Reid Brignac, Sean Rodriguez).

All in all, the Rays are starting with one of those lineups that might be good enough for the playoffs…and might be good enough for a last-place tie with Baltimore.

Brian Roberts (Creative Commons/Keith Allison)

 The biggest story out of Baltimore this March was pitcher Brian Matusz getting a wart removed from his throwing hand. 

Okay, maybe it’s not that bad. 

But it ain’t that good. After failing to compete in the division last season (the top four teams all finished within 11 games of each other; the Orioles were a dismal 29 games out of first), Baltimore also failed to assemble a team that can be a legitimate 2011 contender. 

The Os have worked hard to build through their farm system and are debuting a rotation a fresh-faced pitchers hungry for a shot at MLB greatness.  It’s should be fascinating to watch these young guns develop.

Their “ace”, however, is Justin Duchscherer, who has appeared in a grand total of five games in five years. If he can stay healthy he will make an impact but he’s been plagued by injury, so that’s a big “if."

The one-year signing of designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero was a great move, but Balitmore traded away top offensive performers Miguel Tejada and Ty Wigginton. What’s left is a hodge-podge of last year’s underperforming position players and underwhelming new additions. 

Add in the injury struggles of former All-Star Brian Roberts and newly acquired vet Derrek Lee, and the Orioles have a recipe for another last place finish. 

Boston Red Sox

Things could have been worse in Beantown last season. 

For instance, the Sox could have lost Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, Victor Martinez and Jacoby Ellsbury to injury and had Josh Beckett finish the season with an ERA of 5.78.

Wait—that actually happened. 

Somehow the Red Sox still managed to finish third in the league’s toughest division. 

Go ahead, take a minute and imagine what they might be able to do now that Youkilis, Pedroia and Ellsbury are healthy. Now that David Ortiz has quieted the naysayers by posting a stellar finish to 2010. Now that the team scored the second and third best signings of the offseason, in Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez, respectively (the Phillies’ 11th-hour grab of Cliff Lee comes in at No. 1, natch). 

Suffice to say, the Red Sox will be formidable opponents. 

Their biggest concerns look to be pitching and catching.  The projected rotation of Jon Lester, John Lackey, Clay Buchholz, Beckett, and Daisuke Matsuzaka has the potential to be one of the best in the game.  It also has the potential to crash and burn.

Lester is certainly capable of putting together a very good season, after doing so last year with virtually no support. 

Matsuzaka is being given a chance to show he’s not the biggest waste of money in the history of major league baseball. 

The Sox have great depth in the bullpen, with several experienced hurlers and lots of flexibility in the minors.  But this is a make-it-or-break-it season for closer Jonathan Papelbon, whose rapid decline and transformation from the darling of Fenway to media punching bag has been awe-inspiring. 

Behind the plate, Jarrod Saltalamacchia is worrisome. Sox management has displayed confidence that he’ll be the long-term replacement for Jason Varitek, but “Salty” lacks experience and is injury prone. 

But let’s face it, he won’t have to do much to make his contribution. The Red Sox are already stacked with hitters. They just want him to be consistent. 

If he is and everyone stays healthy, Boston is the best team in the East. And maybe in baseball.    

The banner at the top of the Blue Jays’ official website says “Hustle & Heart." Indeed, those are two things Toronto displayed a lot of last year. 

The hustle: The Jays held the top spot in the division through April and remained entrenched in the race until late June. They finished with 85 wins. That got them fourth place in the AL East but would have been good enough for second or third in any other division. 

They also managed to unload overpriced center fielder Vernon Wells, a feat many thought impossible.

Rajai Davis, whom Toronto acquired from Oakland, promises to be a worthy replacement. He’s made a strong showing in Spring Training. Manager John Farrell said last week he plans to bat Davis in the leadoff spot, where they hope he can match the 50 stolen bases he had last year with the A’s.

The heart: After a killer 2009 and slump 2010, Adam Lind is moving from DH to first base. He’s fighting hard to win back fan and media support since being branded a flash in the pan.

Keep an eye out for Chad Cordero, former Washington Nationals standout closer. Cordero’s career fell apart when he tore his shoulder and had to undergo surgery in 2008. Then last December, he lost his infant daughter to SIDS. This spring in the minors, he’s said he’s working hard in her memory.

Farrell and G.M. Alex Anthopoulos are watching Cordero closely, since they hope to deepen their bullpen significantly. 

Injuries to relievers Frank Francisco and Octavio Dotel have caused anxiety among Toronto fans, especially because the starting rotation, led by Ricky Romero, still seems far from locked in. Jesse Litsch, Kyle Drabek and Jo-Jo Reyes are vying for the final two spots. 

There’s talent in Toronto but the team needs to gel. Right now it look likes the sum of its parts may actually be greater than the whole. 

 New York Yankees

Following an offseason marked by the most ridiculous contract negotiations east of the Mississippi (Derek Jeter) and the most desperate starting pitcher search of any geographic region, things are looking up for the Bronx Bombers.

Sure, they’re still going with A.J. Burnett as their No. 2 starter. And, yes, their core of position players is, shall we say, on the mature side of the spectrum. But those mature players, particularly Alex Rodriguez with a spring slugging percentage of 1.000, look nothing short of magnificent. 

Two interesting battles for spots remain unsettled this week: 

Manager Joe Girardi and G.M. Brian Cashman have yet to declare whether Jeter or Brett Gardner will bat at the top of the order. Cashman has said the “better hitter” will be awarded the position—on paper that’s Jeter, but after his struggles last season they may be looking for fresh blood. 

Also up in the air is who will round out the starting rotation.

Until last week it looked as though Freddy Garcia was a lock for the fourth spot behind C.C. Sabathia, Burnett and Phil Hughes. But after Bartolo Colon and Ivan Nova stepped it up last week, the race appears to be a fairly tight one.

[Editor's note: Reports Friday say Garcia is the man.]

An official decision is expected very soon.  And if New York wants a real chance of besting Boston this year, it had better be a good one. 

Final Prediction:

 1. Boston Red Sox

2. New York Yankees

3. Toronto Blue Jays

4. Tampa Bay Rays

5. Baltimore Orioles

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To reach Kate Rooney by email, click here.