The Post’s Joel Sherman previews the AL East:
1. New York Yankees
O/U wins: 89.5
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Sign Up NowKey player: Max Fried. He not only needs to pitch like an ace but a healthy ace, with Gerrit Cole (elbow) out for the season and 2024 AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil (lat) sidelined for three months. Fried has had forearm issues each of the past two seasons. When he is landing his best curveball, he could yell to batters that it is coming and still thrive.
Player who’ll need to step up: Jasson Domínguez. If you are wondering why Alex Verdugo was jobless until late March, then know he was the primary culprit in the Yankees producing out of left field the fewest homers (15), third-worst OPS (.649) and fifth-fewest steals (eight). So The Martian does not have out-of-this-world numbers to beat to improve the club in this position. He has 20-20 potential — will he reach that (or better) while capably fielding the position?
