Over the past 20 years, with a few minor exceptions, the American League East has been dominated by the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.
In fact, 2014 marked the first time since the divisional format changed in 1995, that neither the Yankees nor Red Sox made the playoffs.

The Yankees finished 84-78, four games out of the second wild card spot and 12 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for the division lead. The Red Sox finished last in the division with a record of 71-91, 25 games back.

Which of the two teams has a better shot a returning to the post-season in 2015? Will it be two-straight years where both of these teams don't qualify?

Key Off-Season Additions

Yankees: RHP David Carpenter, RHP Nate Eovaldi, SS Didi Gregorius, INF Garrett Jones, LHP Andrew Miller
Red Sox: RHP Justin Masterson, LHP Wade Miley, RHP Rick Porcello, SS/OF Hanley Ramirez, 3B Pablo Sandoval

Recoveries

In the 20 examined seasons, the Yankees made the post-season 17 times while the Red Sox punched their ticket 10 times.

The Yankees missed the playoffs in 2008 and followed that up by winning the World Series the following campaign. They missed again in 2013 but were not able to recover quite as well, missing for a second time in a row.

The Red Sox failed to make the playoffs five times in seven years in from 1996-2002, but followed that up with six playoff appearances in seven years including two World Series titles. In a bizarre recent stretch, they sandwiched a third World Series title in between two last place division finishes. If they are looking to complete a symmetrical pattern, they are on pace to win it all again this year.

Team Scope

The Yankees lost all-time great closer Mariano Rivera to retirement after the 2013 season, and have now encountered the same fate with long-time captain shortstop Derek Jeter. Though Jeter was not an impact player in 2014, the leadership and atmosphere he created will surely be missed, as the Yankees enter the post-Jeter era.

The Yankees penchant to out-spend everyone, while neglecting prospect development by dealing young players away looks to have finally caught up to them.

The projected starting lineup looks very much to be on the decline, with an average age of close to 32. In fact, the only projected starter under 30 is Jeter's heir apparent Gregorius, who is 24, and if you consider him an outlier, the average age bumps up close to 33.

The rotation has promise, but is littered with risks and concerns. Capuano and Sabathia are well above 30 and have not had relevant seasons for at least a couple years. Tanaka and Pineda are young and full of potential but already have injury histories.

The bullpen is a stand out area for the Yankees as the majority of them are under 30 and effective, while Betances could become the game's next top closer.

General Manager Brian Cashman is aware that things in Yankee-land are changing with the retirement of Jeter and the roster changes.

"This year will be different, that's for sure," Cashman said in January. "This spring will be more important than most because there's a lot of

new guys and a lot of guys we don't know all that much about.
"There's a lot of players we have to get to know. Clearly last year there was a big focus on our captain, who's no longer here. This year the focus will be on all the new guys."

The Red Sox have bolstered their lineup by adding two of the most coveted offseason free agents in Sandoval and Ramirez and both should thrive hitting in Fenway Park. They join perennial all-stars Pedroia and Ortiz to create an experienced and formidable middle of the lineup.

Bogaerts and Betts, both 22, profile as two of the best prospects in the game. Speaking of age, Boston's projected lineup has an average age of 28.5, and if you remove the outlier in Ortiz who is 39, the average is just above 27, which happens to be the prime age for baseball players.

The area of concern for the Red Sox would be their pitching, specifically their rotation. The staff lacks an ace and would benefit from acquiring one through trade, such as Cole Hamels or Johnny Cueto. Though such a deal is easier said than done.

Last season, the team's earned run average was 4.01 which ranked 23rd in the majors, below the average of 3.74. Their projected rotation averaged an ERA of 4.64 in 2014. If we look to find another outlier, we can take out Porcello's 3.43 ERA, the average becomes 4.94, which in simple terms is awful.

General Manager Ben Cherington however, was positive about his rotation's potential.

"We like where we're at," Cherington said in January. "We like the collection of pitchers we have. We feel like there's upside, untapped potential with the group we have... There's enough pitching talent to put together a good pitching staff and compete for the division.''

The Red Sox are going to need the rest of the rotation to rebound, or they will have to out-score their problems. In an age where pitching is becoming more prominent and run scoring is down (the major league average of runs scored per team in 2009 was 747, in 2014 it was 659), this could be a recipe for disaster.

Divisional Scope

The one thing going for both teams is that the American League East does not look the powerhouse it used to be.

The Toronto Blue Jays have the longest playoff drought in professional sports and while they have some skill in the lineup, they lack the overall team depth. The Baltimore Orioles may take a step back with their disappointing off-season while the Tampa Bay Rays are rebuilding.

With all that, the division appears to be up for grabs. With the Central and West getting stronger this off-season, the only chance to make the post-season may in fact be to win the division.

Verdict

The Yankees have a tremendous looking bullpen and after what we saw during the 2014 post-season, that cannot be overlooked. They have the experience in their lineup and their rotation has high risk, high reward potential.

The Red Sox's lineup has the potential to outscore any team and have recently overcome failure by winning it all.

Overall, both teams have huge risks and holes in their lineups that in either the Central or West, they likely would not be playoff contenders. But with the East wide open, there is a chance for both, but look for Boston to earn a spot, especially if their rotation can at least stabilize.

Which of the two teams has a better shot a returning to the post-season in 2015? Will it be two-straight years where both of these teams don't qualify?