Path to the playoffs for every AL East team

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There are still a huge number of free agents available, but let's look at the AL East and where each team stands right now in its hunt for the 2017 postseason (teams are listed in the order they finished in last season's AL East standings).

Boston Red Sox

2016: 93-69, 184 run differential, lost to Indians in American League Division Series

2017 projected record from FanGraphs: 93-69

Key moves so far: Acquired P Chris Sale from White Sox for 3B Yoan Moncada and three minor leaguers; acquired P Tyler Thornburg from Brewers for IF Travis Shaw and two minor leaguers; signed 1B Mitch Moreland; Traded? Clay Buchholz?to the Phillies; lost FA Ps Brad Ziegler, Koji Uehara, Junichi Tazawa.

The Red Sox scored 101 more runs than any other AL team in 2016 -- and now they've added Sale to a rotation that already features Cy Young winner Rick Porcello and David Price, who led the majors in games started and innings pitched and won 17 games and yet was labeled a disappointment by many. Eduardo Rodriguez is a breakout candidate after returning from a stint in the minors with a tweak in his mechanics. He posted a 3.24 ERA over his final 14 starts while holding batters to a .210 average. Even accounting for some ball-in-play regression from Porcello, that's a formidable foursome, with the top three guys having been durable over their careers, and you still have Drew Pomeranz?and? Steven Wright backing up.

No David Ortiz to build the offense around? Maybe not a problem. FanGraphs projects the Red Sox as the highest-scoring team in the majors. That makes sense given the young core of MVP runner-up Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley Jr., plus a full season from Andrew Benintendi. Still, there are some potential concerns here: The drop-off from Ortiz to Moreland is huge, Bogaerts and Bradley both dropped off noticeably in the second half, and the Red Sox enjoyed good health in 2016, with seven regulars playing 145-plus games. Still, a lot would have to go wrong for Boston not to have a high-powered attack.

There's a reason Dave Dombrowski paid the price to get Sale: This is a team in its prime and they'll head into the season as the overwhelming favorite in the AL East. They'll have the financial means to add in-season repairs if needed. They should make back-to-back postseason trips for the first time since 2007-2009.

Key player: The trades of Moncada and Shaw opens up third base for Pablo Sandoval. The Red Sox were last in the majors with a .305 wOBA from third base in 2016 -- although that was still better than what Sandoval gave the Red Sox in 2015 (.292).

Toronto Blue Jays

2016: 89-73, 93 run differential, lost to Indians in American League Championship Series

2017 projected record from FanGraphs: 82-80

Key moves so far: Signed FA DH Kendrys Morales and 1B/OF Steve Pearce; lost FA DH Edwin Encarnacion, Ps R.A. Dickey, Brett Cecil and Joaquin Benoit.

The departure of Encarnacion and the likely departure of Jose Bautista paints the Blue Jays in a tight corner. They're going to have to need a dominant rotation to carry the team to the postseason. That was the case in 2016, when the Jays posted a 3.64 rotation ERA -- nearly half a run better than the Indians' second-best 4.08 mark. The FanGraphs projection sees the Jays as only a middle-of-the-road run prevention team, but there's reason to believe that underestimates the Toronto staff.

Let's start with Aaron Sanchez, the 2016 AL ERA leader. He outperformed his FIP -- 3.00 ERA versus 3.55 FIP -- but that's because his hard sinker generates a lot of weak ground balls instead of strikeouts (projection systems like more strikeouts). Considering Sanchez just completed his first season in the rotation and is still refining his command, there's reason to believe he's a legitimate ace. At this point, Marco Estrada is a proven BABIP-limiter with his ability to induce pop-ups and fly balls. Marcus Stroman actually underperformed his FIP -- 4.37 ERA compared to 3.71 -- so he's a good bet to improve. Will J.A. Happ go 20-4 with a 3.18 ERA again? Probably not, although he was better in the second half. I like his chances to post another sub-4.00 ERA. Francisco Liriano is the No. 5 starter, which makes him one of the better fifth starters in the league.

The offense is less of a guarantee as they look to replace 88 home runs from Encarnacion, Bautista and Michael Saunders. But let's not assume all three of those guys are gone for good -- or that Toronto won't sign another first baseman or corner outfielder. Morales will come close to replacing Encarnacion's production and it's not like Bautista was an MVP candidate last year (.234/.366/.452). In fact, getting him out of right field could be a net positive with a better defender out there. Devon Travis, who hit .300/.332/.454, is ready to mature into a middle-of-the-order bat. Oh, and Josh Donaldson should be an MVP candidate again.

Key player: Troy Tulowitzki has to remain healthy and productive. The Jays will happily take the 131 games and 24 home runs from 2016, although 145 games and 30 home runs will help solidify the lineup.

Baltimore Orioles

2016: 89-73, 29 run differential, lost AL wild-card game

2017 projected record from FanGraphs: 76-86

Key moves so far: Signed FA C Welington Castillo; lost FA 1B/OF Steve Pearce.

Guess what? The FanGraphs projection system doesn't like the Orioles. That's an annual ritual, but the Orioles have made the playoffs in three of the past five seasons; and guess which AL team has won the most games over those five seasons? Yep. So Baltimore's path to the playoff is simple: Forget the computers and stay the course.