AL East

Jays fans have put up with a lot. Former GM J.P. Ricciardi made mistake after mistake, from Alex Rios, to Vernon Wells, to B.J. Ryan, to Frank Thomas. The motto seemed to be "buy high, sell low" in Toronto.

But fear no more. Forget Austin Jackson; forget Jason Heyward. You want a Rookie of the Year?

Cue Alex Anthopoulos.

I will be the first one to tell you that I heavily blasted Joe Girardi and his strange moves that only helped the New York Yankees stumble to a 13-17 finish over the last month of the season. His plan was for his team to get healthy and be prepared for the postseason and not shoot for the American League East Division Title and face the Texas Rangers in the playoffs.

Josh Beckett suffered through one of the worst seasons of his career.  All you have to do is look at the numbers to understand just how bad it was:

6 Wins
127.2 Innings
5.78 ERA
1.54 WHIP
116 Strikeouts (8.2 K/9)
45 Walks (3.2 BB/9)
.349 BABIP

Before we get into specifics, Beckett has coincidentally alternated good and bad years dating back to 2005.  It’s odd, for sure, but it actually is a fact.  Just look at his ERAs:

The ALDS series between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Texas Rangers started when the Rangers Cliff Lee outdueled the Rays David Price.  Twenty-four hours later, the Rays fell again behind James Shields to the Rangers and C.J. Wilson.  In fact, the Rays only had one run in the first two games at Tropicana Field, via Ben Zobrist's solo homer in Game 1. 

If it weren't already evident that AJ Burnett’s big long-term contract was dictating the decisions made by the Yankees front office, it is now. 

After the Yankees cruised through the American League Division series with just three starters, the Yankees announced Monday morning that they will use a fourth starter in the American League Championship series. That fourth starter will be AJ Burnett.

For the second year in a row, the New York Yankees swept aside the Minnesota Twins in the first round of the playoffs and are once again headed back to the ALCS.

Many questions surrounded the Yankees as they entered the postseason for only the 14th time in 15 years, but it is safe to say now that the Bombers are a legitimate threat.

Via Chad Jennings:

Brian Cashman just announced that the Yankees are planning to go with a four-man rotation in the American League Championship Series, no matter who they’re playing in the next round.

The Yankees again proved to be the most playoff-efficient team of all.  They bullied Minnesota right out of their own home early on and then finished them off in the Bronx.  An all-around dominant performance from the Yankees shows that they will be tough to beat once again in these playoffs.  There may be only one team that could challenge them this season.  Can I get a..."RE-MATCH?!"

Begin Slideshow

There is not much going wrong for the New York Yankees, after sweeping the Minnesota Twins easily to advance to the ALCS.

However it happened, this is not the same team who finished off 2010 regular season barely breathing.

Resembling championship form almost overnight has caused rumors to swirl for the sudden upgraded play.

Maybe it’s just pure postseason rush?

As the Major League Baseball playoffs turn the page from divisional to championship series, and the Yankees and Phillies celebrate convincing sweeps—utterly boring, yawn-inducing sweeps—those on the outside looking in like the Boston Red Sox are already formulating the plan for next year.