Baseball is starting to kick into high gear, and the fun has already begun. From the Tampa Bay Rays starting 13-0, the Baltimore Orioles look like a legitimate contender, with Matt Olsen and Aldey Rutschmen being early MVP-caliber players. Here are a few questions that need to be sold high right now and or bought and held.
3 Buy or Sell Questions in the East Divisions in MLB
Buy or Sell: Adley Rutschman Will Get MVP Votes
It might be a bit early to make any kind of call on MVPs or anything regarding them, but it is fun to speculate on how things will go. In the case of Adley Rutschman, I will buy that he gets a few MVP votes.
Baltimore looks like they will be an incredibly fun team to watch, from the on-field product to their celebrations. As long as the Orioles continue to be relevant in the AL East, and Rutschman grows upon his rookie season, it’s not out of the question he gets a few votes. Granted, he could fall off of the cliff and do nothing the rest of the season, however, I find that hard to believe.
As of writing this article, Rustschman has a slash line of .391/.491/.609 with no signs of slowing down. In terms of just fun storylines, he and the Orioles are definitely up there in the first month of the season. It will definitely be something to watch as the season progresses.
Buy or Sell: The Rays are the best team in Baseball
It’s hard to look at a team that has 13 wins and 0 losses and say they aren’t the best team in the league. However, I don’t think they are. The Rays aren’t the best team in the league, but they’re definitely up there, though I sell this take.
The season will certainly have ups and downs. The Rays are on a giant up right now, just dominating every opponent they have faced. The Rays have an unheard-of run differential of +71. They have also hit 31 home runs in just 13 games. Oh, by the way, the pitching staff has only allowed 20 runs. How in the world is this team not the best team ever assembled?
Well, unfortunately, they play in the same division as some other powerhouses. The New York Yankees aren’t even fully healthy yet. Also, the Toronto Blue Jays are starting off strong again. It is worth noting the Rays have played some not-so-good teams so far. Their opponents so far in 2023 have been the Tigers, Athletics, Nationals, and Red Sox. None of those teams are really projected to be good, but this doesn’t take away from the craziness that is the Rays dominating start.
Buy or Sell: The Braves and Mets are the best teams in NL East
The short answer is more or less, yes, but I think the Philadelphia Phillies will have a bit of a fight in them. Both the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets have imposing rosters from the top to the bottom. I think I buy this statement, but barely.
The Phillies will definitely make a run at them, but a hard start and unfortunate injuries might slow them down a bit. Even though Trea Turner is doing well as their splash signing, it’s just hard to overcome some things. Looking at the rest of the division, the Marlins aren’t going to be making any kind of waves at least this year and the Nationals are rebuilding.
The actual fact of the matter is how both the Mets and Braves kept the core of their 100-win teams together. Both added more to their teams in the offseason. The Braves caught catcher Sean Murphy while the Mets got Justin Verlander and Kodai Sanga to help the rotation. It’s going to be a dogfight between two of the best teams in baseball all year long in the National League East.
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