The Post’s Mark W. Sanchez previews the AL East:
1. New York Yankees
O/U wins: 90.5
Key player: Ben Rice. The Yankees expect historic excellence from Aaron Judge and regular excellence from the likes of Giancarlo Stanton, Cody Bellinger, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and most of the supporting cast. But what can be projected from Rice, who raced through the minors in 2024 and took off in 2025, smacking 26 home runs en route to an .836 OPS? There is a higher ceiling attainable for the hardworking lefty slugger who has the potential to emerge as one of the premier bats in the game.
Player who’ll need to step up: Camilo Doval. The biggest problem, at least to start the year, resides in an unproven bullpen that proved to be an unexpected weakness last season. Who will be the bridge to David Bednar? The most electric option is Doval, who has been among the biggest and best arms in the game at points in his career and now will be under Matt Blake’s tutelage for a full season.
