3 teams open:
New York Yankees - 52-38 - Tied for 1st place in the AL East
The Yankees are the reigning World Series Champs winning the 2050 World Series. They have not slowed down in 2051 leading the American League East (tied with the Jays) by 7 games over the Boston Red Sox. They have the 4th best record in the Majors this season. The Yanks are lead by former 1st overall pick back in 2044, 25 year old RF Joe Adams who is the heart and sole of their offence slashing .306/.329/.525 with 15 HR and 49 RBI, to complement Adams the Yanks also have 24 year old slugger 2B Sincere Pettiway who has belted a team leading 34 HR and is just in his second full season after debuting in 2050. On the pitching side SP Jorge Rivera is a perennial Cy Young contender and on the short list for best pitcher in the league. The Yankees do have the 30th ranked farm but that is mostly because they have graduated most of their higher skilled talent to the MLB level in the last 2 seasons. They have the #2 payrool at $186,102,650 and the 7th highest budget at $230,000,000. They should be a force in the AL East for years to come.
Statsplus Team Page:
https://statsplus.net/blnavii/team/48?page=roster
Nashville Stars - 41-49 - last in the NL East (14 games back of Washington)
Nashville is in the midst of a rebuild and they are on the upswing for sure, they currently have the #4 ranked farm system in the game placing 4 players in the top 100. The highest ranked is LF Devin Rivas a 22 year old outfielder who was selected 8th overall this season. He is complimented by 1B Jim Racy (10th OA), RF Steve Matelski (35th OA) and SP Jorge Coronel (99th OA) to head up one of the strongest farms systems in the league. On the MLB side there is some talent to work with as well, SP Jorge Pinto, a 26 year old former 3rd round pick is the ace of the staff and been a reliable innings eater for the past 4 seasons in Nashville. 1B Rob Parks is a 2 time All Star and the offensive leader on the team, he is just 27 and signed for 5 more seasons and DH/OF Chris Blatchford is a power hitting, bat first 25 year old that has hit 48 and 59 homeruns the last 2 seasons. The Stars have a ton of financial flexibility with a payroll of just $63 million and a budget of $188 million they have a combination of young assets and payroll space to take the team in a number of directions.
Statsplus Team Page:
https://statsplus.net/blnavii/team/41?page=roster
Los Angeles Angels - 32-60 - Last in the AL West 24 games back of Seattle
The Angels should be better than their record indicates but they seem to have trouble scoring runs (they rank 12th or worse in all of the offensive stats in the American League). They have some good hitters in LF Ken Peffer, a 26 year old former 1st round pick in 2043, CF Jahiem Saintsurin, a 3rd round pick in 2049 and 3B Tim Jenson another former 1st rounder 21st overall back in 2045. On the pitching side 28 year old SP Tommy Cooper is the leader of the staff and he was an All Star in 2050. SP Jeremy Kidd and CL Mike Doolittle are vets that are solid contributors and could be flipped for an asset at the trade deadline or kept to help along the youngsters. The Angels Farm system ranks 28th in the league placing just 2 players in the Top 100. OF Dave Graham is ranked 70th and OF Jared Bentley is the 90th ranked prospect. Financially the Angels have the 16th overall payroll at $127 million and the 4th highest budget at $242 million. The Angels were a perennial playoff contender who is probably in need of a rebuild. If your a GM who likes rebuilding teams in your own image the Angels have the financial flexibility to make that happen.
Statsplus Team Page:
https://statsplus.net/blnavii/team/44?page=roster