AL East

Based on the $155 million paycheck and intense hype surrounding his arrival in the United States, Masahiro Tanaka has the aura of a Major League Baseball superstar. 

Unfortunately, the Japanese ace still has to throw his first meaningful pitch at the highest level of professional baseball. That means that, when trying to evaluate his talents, there is still a wide gulf between what might be and what is. 

Saying the Boston Red Sox have had a quiet offseason thus far into 2014 is an understatement.

To be frank, the Red Sox have not exactly been active in targeting some of the high-profile free agents who have been available during the offseason.

We are now more than halfway through January and spring training is just weeks away.

The Baltimore Orioles are coming off two consecutive winning seasons, including a playoff berth in 2012, and that—coupled with the team's talented core—gives O's fans hope for the 2014 season.

However, the Orioles have done virtually nothing to improve their team this winter, or at least in the sense of an impact signing of a bigger-name player.

For the Tampa Bay Rays, planning to trade star pitcher David Price isn't so much a matter of whether the price is right but when the timing is.

At the end of the 2013 season, speculation started that the small-market Rays more than likely would be swapping their ace left-hander, primarily because of his escalating salary and imminent free agency following 2015.

The Boston Red Sox have been awfully quiet this offseason. Too quiet, some might say.

Or, you know, not. To say they've been "too" quiet, Mr. Strawman, is to imply that the Red Sox have been quiet to a fault this winter. I'm not sold that's the case. 

In the midst of a number of splashy moves made around the MLB, the Boston Red Sox have remained very quiet this offseason.

Following its 2013 World Series crown, Boston could have been in a dire situation heading into spring training 2014.  The team had its share of free agents, including Jacoby Ellsbury, Mike Napoli, Stephen Drew and Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

Two have already departed, and another may do so soon.

With a brand new World Series championship banner hanging on Yawkey Way, the Boston Red Sox have some pretty big shoes to fill as we move towards the 2014 MLB season.

This year, fans will be treated to an injection of youth with Xander Bogaerts likely taking over as the everyday shortstop and Jackie Bradley Jr. in center field.

Over the last two decades, the New York Yankees have put the fate of their franchise in Derek Jeter's hands. Now, as the 39-year-old enters the twilight of his career, the team is asking its captain to do something only three shortstops in the history of the sport have done: profile as an everyday shortstop as a 40-year-old.

While "busy" might be the best word to describe the offseason for the New York Yankees and general manager Brian Cashman, "hectic" is probably the best word to describe the upcoming month leading up to when pitchers and catchers report to spring training.

Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez's 211-game suspension was reduced to 162 games today as a result of his appeal, as was first reported by Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Tim Brown of Yahoo!