Here’s an in-depth look at the Yankees’ AL East foes:
Orioles
Manager: Buck Showalter (eighth year)
Spring training site: Sarasota, Fla.
Biggest additions: Catcher Welington Castillo was brought in to replace Matt Wieters. Seth Smith will be plugged into the outfield and former Met Logan Verrett will be in the rotation. Mark Trumbo was brought back on a three-year deal, as the Orioles took advantage of a weak market for sluggers.
Biggest losses: Wieters is a free agent, but the Orioles seemed to have moved on to Castillo. The same appears to be true for Pedro Alvarez, Michael Bourn and Nolan Reimold. Steve Pearce went to Toronto and Yovani Gallardo was traded in exchange for Smith.
Spring training storylines to watch: The Orioles are counting on Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman to continue to develop to bolster a questionable rotation. Baltimore did well to reach the wild-card game last season and no doubt still will be smarting from their loss to Toronto — when Showalter did not use closer Zach Britton after his historic season. And can Trumbo match the career year he had in his first season at Camden Yards?
Red Sox
Manager: John Farrell (fifth year)
Spring training site: Fort Myers, Fla.
Biggest additions: Boston made one of the splashiest moves of the offseason when they shipped some big-name prospects — including Yoan Moncada — to the White Sox to land Chris Sale. They also brought in Mitch Moreland to play first base and right-hander Tyler Thornburg, who is coming off a solid year with the Brewers.
Biggest losses: David Ortiz retired after having one of his most productive seasons last year at age 40. The slugger has been the face of the franchise for more than a decade. Travis Shaw was sent to Milwaukee for Thornburg. Though Moncada played just eight games for Boston, the 21-year-old is considered one of the top prospects in the game.
Spring training storylines to watch: Just how good will Boston’s rotation be? The Red Sox hope Sale picks up right where he left off in Chicago and that Rick Porcello can come close to matching his Cy Young performance from a year ago. Though David Price had a decent 2016 by most standards, his first season at Fenway did not meet expectations. The lineup should see the return of Pablo Sandoval from shoulder surgery, and all eyes will be on the third baseman and his conditioning. They’ll head into the season as the clear favorites in the division.
Rays
Manager: Kevin Cash (third year)
Spring training site: Port Charlotte, Fla.
Biggest additions: The penny-pinching Rays did not deviate from their usual ways this offseason, but they did bring in outfielder Colby Rasmus and catcher Wilson Ramos, coming off a torn ACL. They also brought back Logan Morrison.
Biggest losses: Much to the dismay of Evan Longoria, the Rays traded Logan Forsythe for prospects and shipped out Drew Smyly, as well.
Spring training storylines to watch: The Rays have a knack for defying expectations and finding starting pitching. They’re looking for both in 2017. Plenty will depend on whether Blake Snell can build on a strong rookie season and if Alex Cobb can return to form after struggling in his return last year from Tommy John surgery.
Blue Jays
Manager: John Gibbons (fifth year)
Spring training site: Dunedin, Fla.
Biggest additions: The Blue Jays had a rough offseason, but they managed to bring in Kendrys Morales and Steve Pearce and — after it seemed like he was destined to head out of Toronto like some of his other teammates — Jose Bautista ended up staying. Right-hander Joe Smith was brought in to bolster the bullpen.
Biggest losses: Edwin Encarnacion took his 42 homers and league-leading 127 RBIs to Cleveland, which was good news for everyone in the AL East except the Blue Jays — who can’t fill that hole in the lineup. Michael Saunders went to the Phillies. Joaquin Benoit and Brett Cecil are gone from the bullpen.
Spring training storylines to watch: J.A. Happ and Aaron Sanchez were superb last year — much to many observers’ surprise. If the Blue Jays are going to get back to the playoffs, the pair likely will need to approach their 2016 success, at the least. Though the lineup won’t be as feared as it was in recent years, perhaps the 2-3-4-5 of Josh Donaldson, Bautista, Morales and Troy Tulowitzki will be enough.