 with 99 wins, seven games ahead of the Blue Jays, 13 ahead of Tampa Bay, the Orioles stunning some people, four games above 500, and then Boston pulling up the rear right there they finished last in the division. So let's start with the second-place team and the Blue Jays have always had that focus about the past three years. Got Guerrero Junior, Biggio, all these players that are coming on they've signed some really good pitchers but Jack doesn't it seem like they take two steps forward and one step back. Right last year was supposed to be their year to quote Vlad II Junior he said that 2021 was the premiere or the trailer and that 2022 was going to be the movie well the movie ended up being more of a Yankee movie they they pushed the Blue Jays aside their young talent is terrific I think where they need help is in the rotation you've got Manoa Garrett Cole's best friend you've got and you've got Burrios, Cocucci has been a disappointment so I think if they're going to improve I think they could use another big arm. Yeah Burrios is the guy who's got a rebound right we talk about Josh Donaldson rebounding and having a good year Burrios is a much better pitcher than he showed last year in Toronto they have to replace Teoscar Hernandez with his production out in the outfield and they have a little log jam behind the play with Alejandro Kirk and Danny Jansen maybe one of those guys is going to get moved so it's not going to look like the same Toronto team but when you have guys like Bichette and Guerrero Junior like you talked about they're going to be dangerous offensively need a little pitching help all right how about Tampa Bay raise every year we say they're a threat they always seem to defy expectations but it feels like they're just they're kind of drawn the same hand right and how long can you get that hand where the relief pitchings go the starting pitches in pitching is keeping you all in you get enough home runs and runs to just win games how can you keep doing that you know when I look at their roster right now it's going to be a lot of turnover but the one thing we've learned sitting at this desk the Tampa Bay Rays are going to make smart decisions decisions that when you read the transaction you don't think a whole lot about it and then all of a sudden they have a big piece they got to keep their shortstop on the field Franco it was hurt last year he needs to be on the field and be their leader it's going to look like a different team Zanino behind the plate as a free agent Kevin Keermire is a free agent so anything that the Rays do I will never question again because there's a method to their madness Kluber a free agent as well so they're going to have to go out and get some pitching I think they could use some left-handed hitters as well they seem to find these bullpen pieces and just toss them into a game and they all come in throwing a hundred and getting batters out I've always said what you said Bob about the Rays but I'm going to need to see some more evidence for me to believe that next season the Rays are a 90-plus win team that contends is a full season of Tyler Glass now a difference maker or do you still you still need to add right I still need to add but that that's a good piece to have at the top of your rotation of course a guy who throws with with the way he throws so that's a good start but as John said they're unsettled right now there's going to be a lot of changes with the Tampa Bay Rays so for me the prediction on them is still outstanding until I see what the rest of the offseason yields all right we talked about the Red Sox finishing last in the division and my question would be what is their identity and it was always tied to Raphael Devers and her bow guards but Bollards is a free agent is he like a must-resign for them you would think so but I think it seems like Xander Bogarts is one of those free agents who's enjoying all of the attention that he is getting right now and rightfully so maybe he feels a little slighted by the Red Sox and how they tried to bring him back but when we have talked about the Red Sox offensively it has been JB Martinez Devers and Bogarts recently Martinez is not going to be back we don't know about Bogarts if Bogarts isn't back does Devers want to sign a long-term deal there they just seem like a big market team that's conducting business like a small market club Pedro Martinez as big a name as you could have in recent Red Sox history he did an interview with MLB comm flash where he hit on the two points that you just made bring back Bogarts and extend Devers and that's a nucleus of young talent that you want to have on your team I remember sitting in the Yankee Stadium interview room before opening day and it was both judge saying that he had not reached a deal with the Yankees and Bogarts told the assembled media that the Red Sox had tried to sign him to an extension and it obviously wasn't enough and he's a guy who's going to cash in big time the Red Sox to try and make sure it's with them. All right let's finally talk about the Baltimore Orioles the team that surprised a lot of people became a very fun team to watch they rolled some dice on some of their younger players high draft picks and they paid off Adley Rushman obviously comes to mind Jack you have any idea what they are in 2023 and are they now a destination for free agents where maybe they would not have been in the past they were not a fluke last year so they won 83 games and you look at the roster and the players that they were able to put together I think they did a really nice job of asserting themselves so now comes the next part you've proven that you can be over a 500 team can you compete with the big boys whoever that happens to be in the division right now it's the Yankees and the Blue Jays but we've seen that change in the past or it might be the Red Sox or the raise the Orioles need to take that next step while the Orioles now have the bullseye on their back they're not going to sneak up on anybody in the American League East next year and yes it was a nice story a great story developing a lot of young pitching on that club but now you're going into a season where everybody's going to be gunning for you a little bit so they're gonna have to earn it a little bit more next year I wouldn't be surprised if you keep developing young players maybe take a step back and then get ready to spend some money the next year by the way PS you move that left field wall way back is that not a destination for right handers now are you looking for guys who get it doubles well I think you always want guys who can hit the ball over the fence obviously but yeah they changed the dimensions we heard some of the Yankees playfully joking around about that but if I'm a GM Bob I'm gonna give you my GM speak I just want good hitters I just want guys are gonna hit line drives that they happen to go over the fence that's fine I know you know some GM's that have sounded like that by the way time for