AL East

It's fair to wonder if the New York Yankees could have already resolved all of their pitching needs before the Masahiro Tanaka posting situation is completed.

Lose 10 pounds. Do more volunteer work. Pay off credit card debt. Hit 30 home runs?

Baseball players probably have different New Year's resolutions than the rest of us common citizens. But the basic idea of setting an attainable goal for a new year still applies to the stars of America's pastime. Plus, since baseball is the only sport of the Big Four with a season contained entirely within a calendar year, New Year's resolutions seem all the more appropriate.

The New York Yankees made a big splash during the early stages of free agency by signing free-agent center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury to a seven-year deal worth $153 million.

The Boston Red Sox might not want to trade John Lackey, given his strong 2013 season and his extremely team-friendly $500,000 club option for 2015. But, in all likelihood, they'll want to clear up a crowded rotation situation before the start of the season, and there may not be a better time to trade the veteran right-hander. 

As the year that saw the Boston Red Sox win their third World Series Championship in 10 years winds to a close, fans and analysts are wondering what the franchise will do to back up their crown in 2014.

Boston has been relatively quiet this offseason, as shown by the team's transactions provided by CBS Sports.

The New York Yankees have been on a shopping spree this winter, committing $300 million in new contracts to players such as Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann, Carlos Beltran, Kelly Johnson and Brian Roberts among others as well as re-signing Hiroki Kuroda and Derek Jeter. 

Even in the New York Yankees' universe, not everything is pinstripe navy blue and white.

Logic dictates that it would not be a good thing for the Yankees if Alex Rodriguez's 211-game suspension were to be overturned. But at the same time, would it be such a bad thing?

It's hard enough to find five good starting pitchers. But the high occurrence of injuries to pitchers in this day and age commonly forces teams to utilize at least eight or nine starting pitchers to get through a 162-game season.

As a result, certain characteristics have become extremely important when assembling a starting rotation. Without a good combination of consistency, durability and reliability, things can get ugly very quickly. 

The New York Yankees have already made big changes this offseason, but there are several more things that need to be done after Jan. 1 to get this team over the hump.

There are a few New Year's resolutions that Yankees management needs to make in an effort to ensure the most success in the upcoming season. The Bombers have been very active this offseason, but there's more to be done and more things that need to change.

The Tampa Bay Rays face a daunting task each offseason.

Stay competitive on a tight budget.

Competing in the American League East is a difficult task by itself. When you add in the Rays budget compared to the spending ability of the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox, and the task becomes exponentially more difficult.