Even with Cruz's departure, Orioles are well-positioned in AL East

Outside of the money and four-year contract, Nelson Cruz's signing with the Seattle Mariners is puzzling from a baseball standpoint. As an Oriole, he would have been hitting in more a power-friendly ballpark in Camden Yards. And for a 35-year-old player, that's important. With guys like Adam Jones, J.J. Hardy, Chris Davis and possibly Nick Markakis, Cruz would have had a better chance to lead the American League in home runs for a second consecutive season. And the Orioles have a better chance of making the playoffs than the Mariners, assuming they keep the team that lost in the American League Championship Series together. Teams in the AL East are making headlines this offseason, but no one is taking over the role of favorite from the Orioles, who won the division by 12 games last season. Toronto has signed catcher Russell Martin and traded for third baseman Josh Donaldson, but the Blue Jays' ability to challenge depends on how their young pitching develops. They have R.A. Dickey and Mark Buehrle, but they are banking on the continued growth of Drew Hutchison and Marcus Stroman. The Blue Jays don't have the money or the players to make a major trade for a pitcher, so it appears that what you see is what you get in Toronto. And it doesn't appear to be enough. Boston is a different story. The Red Sox have money to spend on the free agent market and they have a glut of outfielders that could be used in a trade. The Red Sox have redone the left side of their infield with third baseman Pablo Sandoval and shortstop Hanley Ramirez (assuming he doesn't end up in left field), but who will pitch? Clay Buchholz and Joe Kelly are at the top of the rotation. After that, the rotation is about developing top-notch prospects Rubby De La Rosa, Allen Webster, Anthony Ranaudo and Brandon Workman. That's the story for now. But it's early in the offseason. The Red Sox could either sign Jon Lester, Max Scherzer or James Shields. They could make a trade for Cole Hamels of Philadelphia or Jeff Samardzija of Oakland. The Yankees have a list of problems, but would feel good about their chances if they could find a shortstop, re-sign third baseman Chase Headley and re-sign pitcher Brandon McCarthy. Their contending status also depends on the health of pitchers CC Sabathia and Michael Pineda. In Tampa Bay, the Rays feel confident enough about their rotation that they traded Jeremy Hellickson to Arizona. But the Rays are in for a change with the departure of manager Joe Maddon to the Chicago Cubs. Cruz, who signed for $8 million with the Orioles before 2014 and said throughout the season he liked the vibe of the Orioles and their fans, will help a Mariners team that's been devoid of right-handed power. The Mariners play at spacious Safeco Field and know that if they are going to get run-producing players in Seattle, they are going to have to either trade good talent or pay big money. A couple of years ago, they traded Pineda, their top pitching prospect, to the Yankees for Jesus Montero, who didn't work out. Last year, the Mariners signed Robinson Cano to a $240 million contract. Now, they've spent $58 million on Cruz, who will join a core group of young players that includes Dustin Ackley, Kyle Seager, Logan Morrison and Austin Jackson, a center fielder acquired from Detroit in July. Seattle's pitching is strong. Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma anchor the top of the rotation and the Mariners believe in lefty James Paxton, Taijuan Walker and Roenis Ellis, who had a 3.85 ERA last season. The Mariners bullpen is strong, but can they win with closer Fernando Rodney? The Mariners had to choose between spending money and trading prospects for the bat they needed. They kept their young pitching. Paxton was on the disabled list for four months last season, but he had a 3.03 ERA in 12 starts after returning. Walker had a 2.61 ERA in eight games. The Mariners' home park, Safeco Field, was a nightmare for hitters with dimensions that favored pitchers. Before 2013, the Mariners moved their fences in and the biggest change was the left-center field gap being reduced from 390 feet to 378 feet. That might help Cruz. But it isn't Camden Yards, and his best chance for a return to the World Series was to stay in Baltimore.