As the most competitive division in baseball, you can't help but feel for the Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays, and Toronto Blue Jays. Anywhere else, they would have enjoyed their fair share of success. Stuck behind the deep pockets of the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, though, they have mostly failed to see anything but the basement of the division.

For eight of the past ten years, the Yankees and Red Sox have finished 1st and 2nd in the AL East. The Rays shocked the baseball world in 2008 when they won the division, while the Blue Jays managed a 2nd-place finish in 2006.

This division is extremely competitive. As an outsider, watching the two powerhouses of baseball fight for the top position in the AL East is sometimes humorous. When one of the teams makes a major acquisition, the other feels compelled to do the same. The Yankees brought on CC Sabathia, so the Red Sox added John Lackey. New York added Curtis Granderson, so Boston signs Mike Cameron a few days later.

While the top two teams battle for the division crown, with the losing team likely getting the Wild Card berth, the three other teams silently dream of greener pastures while plotting their two- or three-year runs during which they can take down the dreaded top-dogs of the AL East.

The AL East will bring more of the same in 2010: Two teams on top, while the three others battle for scraps and future positioning. Here is how I think the AL East will play out in 2010:

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Although the Yankees owe at least a small portion of the credit for their 27th World Championship to luck, pure talent is oozing out of the entire lineup and starting rotation.

After bringing in free agents Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia, and Alex Burnett last offseason, the Yankees have added Javier Jasquez, Nick Johnson, and Curtis Granderson for this year's campaign. Say what you will about MLB's supposed need of a salary cap and the “lack of parity” in the sport, but thanks to smart management the Yankees have a surplus of young talent and appear ready for a smooth transition once the Fab Four end their illustrious careers.

Currently, the entire team is slowly aging, but New York looks primed for yet another World Series run in 2010. If one of Joba Chamberlain or Philip Hughes can prove effective in the rotation, the Yankees could boast the strongest starting five in baseball: Sabathia, Burnett, Vasquez, Pettitte, and Chamberlain/Hughes. Even with the fly-ball tendencies of Yankee Stadium, New York should once again be one of the best at holding opponents to low scores.

Because of a very strong staff of hurlers, the Yankees' offense need only be average. With the likes of Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Nick Johnson, Jorge Posada, and Curtis Granderson gracing the batting order, though, New York should have no problem surpassing the century mark in wins for the 2nd consecutive year. They are the clear favorites at the 2010 World Series title.

2. Boston Red Sox – (96-66)

Theo Epstein is one of the brightest, youngest general managers in the league. His general “savvy-ness” (and access to Jim Hendry's deep wallets) have helped make the Boston Red Sox a very powerful force this past decade.

With an aging core of veterans in 2010, though, Boston is opening the checkbook in an attempt to build a stop-gap team that will challenge the Yankees. The Red Sox acquired John Lackey as their contribution to the AL East arms race, which gives them an excellent 1-2-3 punch in Lackey/Beckett/Lester. Boston also solidified the defense by bringing in center fielder Mike Cameron and third baseman Adrian Beltre. None of these players should be considered “young,” but the last thing the Red Sox want is to let the Yankees win the AL East without a fight.

Relative to the rest of the league, Boston's offense is top-notch. With the bats of David Ortiz, Victor Martinez, and Dustin Pedroia leading the offensive charge, the Red Sox should be able to score plenty of runs. Compared to the mighty lineup in the Bronx, however, Boston will most probably come up short.

Boston will once again be competing with the Yankees for the AL East crown in 2010. As the only division in baseball where 90+ wins will buy you nothing more than a Wild Card berth, though, the Red Sox will have to settle for second-best in the AL East. That being said, their outstanding pitching and improved defense give them a very strong chance to advance deep into the 2010 postseason.

3. Tampa Bay Rays – (90-72)

The Rays are stuck in perhaps the worst circumstances in baseball: a less-than-desirable stadium, a virtually non-existent market, and being forced to compete in the toughest, most expensive division in the league. Although Tampa Bay captured the countries' imagination in 2008, they have their work cut out for them in 2010.

A very strong, mostly-homegrown core of hitters will certainly help the Rays compete this season. Carlos Pena, Ben Zobrist, Carl Crawford, BJ Upton, and Jason Bartlett will all be mainstays in the lineup, while the talented Desmond Jennings and Gabe Kaplar could both contribute in smaller roles.

The season will hinge on whether or not the bullpen and rotation are able to perform at adequate levels. Matt Garza, James Shields, David Price, Jeff Niemann, and one of Jeremy Hellickson/Wade Davis/Matt Moore form a deep, albeit very average, starting staff.

Manager Joe Maddon hopes the erratic bullpen of last year will be stabilized by Rafael Soriano and improvements from Dan Wheeler, JP Howell, and Grant Balfour.

Situated in the most competitive division in baseball, the Rays will need more than a few things to fall in their favor in order for them to compete for the division title in 2010. With the right combination of consistent pitching and good luck, though, a Wild Card berth could certainly be a possibility.

4. Baltimore Orioles - (74-88)

For the first time in years, there is hope on the horizon for the Baltimore Orioles. While past seasons and drafts have been plagued with incompetence, the Orioles of late have built a young team and assembled a core that is the envy of baseball.

Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, Matt Wieters, and pitchers Brian Matusz, Zach Britton, Chris Tillman, and Jake Arrieta all show outstanding promise and should pave the way for competitive Orioles teams in the not-too-distant future. Josh Bell and Brandon Snyder are on their way, as well, and will both make a significant impact on the offensive side of the ball.

The offense in Camden Yards has has been groomed and appears relatively mature. Markakis is a doubles-hitting machine and will be a hot fantasy commodity in 2010. Adam Jones and Nolan Reimold are coming into the primes of their careers, as well, and will contribute no small amount of offense to the Oriole's cause.

Baltimore has been quite stingy with their free agent signings these past few years, but shows a willingness to become aggressive once again. With another year or two of experience for this young core of talent, the time may be right for Baltimore to mount a serious challenge to the Yankees and Red Sox. By bringing on several top free agents to augment an already-solid team, the Orioles could pose legitimate threats to reach the postseason.

This year, though, the rotation is comprised of average-at-best starters in Kevin Millwood, Jeremy Guthrie, and Brad Bergesen with two rookies filling out the No.4 and No. 5 positions. The 2010 Orioles will struggle to limit the number of runs their opponents score, and as a result will lose more games than they win.

Though the win/loss barometer may not indicate much improvement in the Orioles in 2010, rest assured that they are on their way down the path to contention.

5. Toronto Blue Jays - (67-95)

After trading away face of the franchise Roy Halladay, new Toronto general manager Alex Anthropoulos has clearly punted on any hope of contention in 2010. Though the haul of young talent they received as compensation for their ace is very deep, the earliest the Blue Jays can expect a winning record would be 2012.

There are several young pieces already (or nearly) in place for Toronto, however. Adam Lind, Brett Wallace, Travis Snider, and pitchers Kyle Drabek and Zach Stewart should all figure to be in the mix in 2012. So should one of catchers Travis d'Arnaud and JP Arencibia, as well as pitcher Tim Collins.

There is certainly talent in Toronto's system, but the current major-league roster looks painfully thin. The first two-thirds of the Blue Jay's batting order of Jose Bautista/Vernon Wells/Aaron Hill/Adam Lind/Edwin Encarnacion/Lyle Overbay certainly aren't scrubs, but thinking of riding their offensive production into the postseason in the AL East would be ridiculous.

Having an ERA that will hover around 5.00, the starting rotation that will be horrid at best. This current Toronto roster will be tough to watch at times. With a fresh crop of promising talent waiting in the wings, though, hope abounds for the Blue Jays. They will have their shot at Having an ERA that will hover around 5.00, the starting rotation that will be horrid at best. This current Toronto roster will be tough to watch at times. With a fresh crop of promising talent waiting in the wings, though, hope abounds for the Blue Jays. They will have their shot at the Yankees and Red Sox. Just not any time soon.

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