AL East offseason preview: Cruz, Miller loom large in O's plans

The San Francisco Giants beat the Kansas City Royals 3-2 to win their third World Series in five seasons, so let the offseason begin. Here's a primer on what's going on with teams in the American League East: Baltimore: The Orioles have already signed shortstop J.J Hardy, but they go into the offseason needing to sign outfielder/designated hitter Nelson Cruz, 34, and lefty reliever Andrew Miller. Cruz and Miller aren't going to be as easy to sign as Hardy was. Miller is expected to get big-time offers from several teams to be a closer. It's good news for the Orioles that Cruz, the AL home run champ, loves Baltimore and that he knows his power numbers benefit from being in the Orioles' deep lineup while playing 81 games at cozy Camden Yards. If those transactions get done, the Orioles are going to be the favorites to repeat as division champs in 2015. If Cruz is gone, Alex Rios and Michael Morse could be replacements that could come to Baltimore with a team-friendly contract similar to what Cruz signed last season. Prediction: Cruz will be more reasonable with his demands this offseason and will sign a two-year contract worth $30 million to stay in Baltimore. Boston: With Clay Buchholz and prospect Joe Kelly the only sure pitchers in the rotation next season, the last-place Red Sox will focus on getting one and maybe two top-notch starters. They have a list of prospects that could make the rotation, so that group will need to be rebuilt, as well. They have the money to compete for Max Scherzer and they could easily re-sign Jon Lester, the pitcher they traded to Oakland for outfielder Yoenis Cespedes in July. The Red Sox could also use a left-handed bat and a third baseman, so switch-hitting Pablo Sandoval of the Giants could be a target for a lineup that is top-heavy with right-handed batters. Another question is what to do with Allen Craig, who had a down year in 2014. The Red Sox have Cespedes, Rusney Castillo, Shane Victorino, Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Daniel Nava as outfielders. So if Craig hits as he did in 2013 with St. Louis, where does he play? The Red Sox hope that new hitting coach Chili Davis will make a difference for the young guys as well as Cespedes, who worked with Davis in Oakland. New York: The Yankees will look for a shortstop to replace Derek Jeter and for ways to get Alex Rodriguez, who returns after a one-year suspension, playing time at first base. What will that mean for the often-injured and aging Mark Teixeira? But the big issue is the rotation. CC Sabathia says he's strong after knee surgery in July and will ready for the start of spring training. Masahiro Tanaka is dealing with a ligament injury in his elbow. Ivan Nova had Tommy John surgery and isn't expected back until at least June. Hiroki Kuroda might retire. Brandon McCarthy is a free agent. Look for the Yankees to make a push for any of the free agent starters on the market. The Yankees farm system is weak and their return to the postseason will depend on developing a new nucleus of productive players. Tampa Bay: The Rays are in shock after losing manager Joe Maddon, who opted out of his contract after general manager Andrew Friedman left for the Dodgers. Speculation is wide open as to who will replace Maddon. Even with the departures, the Rays say they will go about business as usual, but the losses are jarring events for a team struggling with ticket sales and trying to win public support for a new ballpark. On the field, the Rays are the same story: They need better hitting to help their solid pitching. They scored an AL-low 612 runs and led the majors with 1,193 runners left on base. But their pitching was excellent, even though they traded David Price to Detroit and had injuries to Alex Cobb and Matt Moore. The Rays led the AL with 22 shutouts. Toronto: The Blue Jays have infield questions and could use a big-time starter, although they likely will not go into the free agent market to get one. The Blue Jays' trouble spot is second base after Ryan Goins failed to win the job in 2014. Toronto has to find a way to keep third baseman Brett Lawrie and shortstop Jose Reyes healthy. And DH/first baseman Adam Lind's power has disappeared. Their offense in 2015 will be centered on Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista. Rotation-wise, the Blue Jays have R.A. Dickey and Mark Buehrle at the top. They will depend on the development of Marcus Stroman and Drew Hutchison, as well as good prospects in the minors. J.A. Happ is another solid pitcher.