How does the deal affect the balance of power in the AL East?
Massively.
That balance is currently under assessment from every media market in the division. And you can bet the respective GMs are doing the same math right now.
Essentially, the Jays shocked all of baseball.
Up until Tuesday, the AL East was not the picture of stability and power that has been its hallmark for the past dozen years.
The Yankees are too old at key positions and the Red Sox need help in several areas.
How does the trade affect the Yankees?
Twitter lit up amongst Yankee fans after the deal; many saying that if the Jays could pry three major leaguers from the Marlins, the Yanks should go after catcher Giancarlo Stanton.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman would no doubt be thrilled to deal an aging and declining Alex Rodriguez, who some believe would be a good fit for the Marlins. But with five years and $115 million (all figures U.S.) remaining on his contract, that doesn’t appear to be a deal the rebuilding Marlins, or any other team, would make.
How will free agency be affected by the trade?
The Jays trade puts pressure on the Red Sox and Yankees — and to a lesser degree, the Orioles — to land a big name free agent.
Both the Red Sox the Orioles are now strongly mentioned as potential destinations for Josh Hamilton, the biggest name on the market.
It would be interesting to see how Boston affords both Hamilton — who is said to be seeking seven years, $175 million — and LaRoche, who is obviously looking north of $10 million a season.
Boston could also be in the market for Greinke and Kuroda.
How did the trade affect the odds in Las Vegas?
The Jays improved from 35-1 to win the World Series to 14-1 after the trade, according to Bodog. The over-under on the Jays’ regular-season wins in 2013 came in at 87.5. They won 73 in 2012.
http://www.thestar.com/sports/baseball/ ... in-al-east
Lots more to read when you click the link, including how the deal effects the Red Sox, our Minor League system, and more.