Yankees' win total predicted to drop for Blue Jays, Orioles, Red … — and more

Yankees' win total predicted to drop for Blue Jays, Orioles, Red Sox reason originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The New York Yankees were their own worst enemy last season. The AL East club went through its annual June swoon and watched the Toronto Blue Jays take over first place in the division. 

Toronto and New York finished with an identical 94-68 regular season record, but the Blue Jays' 8-5 head-to-head record against the Yankees gave them a running start to the ALDS. 

This offseason, the clubs in the AL East arguably got better, with the Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles, and Boston Red Sox making impact free agency moves. With almost an identical roster led by superstar Aaron Judge, can the Yankees' regular-season record improve? 

Yankees predicted to win fewer than 94 games 

The Tampa Bay Rays may be a long shot to win the AL East title, but any one of the Yankees, Blue Jays, Red Sox, and Orioles has a decent opportunity to do so. 

Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly predicts New York will lose more games this season than last, due to the highly competitive division it's in. 

"The Yankees won 94 games last season, which wasn't enough to win baseball's toughest division. The defending AL Champion Toronto Blue Jays arguably got better this offseason with the addition of Dylan Cease. Even after losing Alex Bregman, the Red Sox are still loaded with talent, particularly in the outfield and starting staff," Kelly wrote.

"The Tampa Bay Rays usually find a way to stay competitive, and won't have to play at a minor-league stadium this year. With the Baltimore Orioles making significant offseason improvements, it stands to reason the Yankees could win a few less games this year, even if they still contend for a playoff spot." 

One of the biggest questions the Yankees face is what level of production they will receive from Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon when they return to the rotation from injury. Luis Gil is just one year removed from a serious lat strain, and Cam Schlittler is already dealing with back stiffness. 

More MLB news:

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• Dominican Republic WBC roster is loaded with stars
• An Edwin Diaz nightmare looms for the Mets
• Buster Posey will change Hall of Fame voting forever
• How Jose Ramirez is on pace to become Cleveland's Derek Jeter
• Phillies' phenom has an MLB All-Star father

It has been a little over a month since Tommaso Ciampa surprised everyone by showing up on the January 28 episode of "AEW Dynamite," and the "Psycho Killer" has been very busy already.

Ciampa has one short reign with the AEW TNT Championship under his belt, which came to an end at the hands of Kyle Fletcher on the February 11 episode of "Dynamite," but a recent report from Fightful Select claimed that Ciampa could have actually shown up in AEW earlier than expected. Fightful reported that Ciampa was meant to debut the week prior to when he showed up, but his scheduled appearance at the January 21 episode of "Dynamite" was pushed back by a week due to the bad weather conditions, which in turn caused the January 24 episode of "AEW Collision" to be moved from Arlington, Texas to Orlando, Florida. However, that report has since been debunked by Fightful themselves.

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select revealed that he was told by AEW sources directly that Ciampa couldn't have possibly been at the January 21 episode of "Dynamite" as he was still under contract with WWE at that time. By the time the January 28 episode rolled around, Ciampa was a free agent and could appear wherever he wanted. Sapp rounded off by apologizing for any confusion caused.

The "Psycho Killer" has also revealed in recent interviews that his AEW debut came together at the very last minute, stating that he was on a family vacation at a giraffe safari in Texas when the opportunity to appear on both "Dynamite" and "Collision" while AEW was in Texas came about. Ciampa got his presentation sorted, debuted on "Dynamite," continued his vacation, went to "Collision" and won the TNT Championship from Mark Briscoe, and still had enough time to finish his vacation before the following week's set of TV shows.

Read more: AEW Stars: Meet Their Spouses & Partners

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Read the original article on Wrestling Inc.

The Las Vegas Raiders enjoyed a productive week at the NFL Combine. John Spytek and Klint Kubiak return from Indianapolis with better clarity regarding their approach in the 2026 NFL draft. With the combine now officially in our rearview mirror, we've conducted a brand-new three-round Raiders mock draft that addresses their needs.

Round 1 (No. 1 overall): Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana

The Raiders had a formal interview with Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza at the NFL Combine. It was essentially a checklist item as they prepare to select him with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Mendoza claimed the meeting went "great," and we have no reason to doubt the Raiders' infatuation with him.

Round 2 (No. 36 overall): Zion Young, EDGE, Missouri

Exiting the 2026 NFL draft with a starting-caliber EDGE is a must. Trade rumors continue to surround Maxx Crosby's name. Missouri's Zion Young is a well-developed pass rusher who threatens quarterbacks with a red-hot motor. Young is also a quality early-down run defender, allowing him to get on the field quickly.

Round 3 (No. 67 overall): Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech

The Raiders desperately need a tackling machine in the middle of their defense at linebacker. Texas Tech's Jacob Rodriguez enjoyed back-to-back seasons with 120-plus tackles. Rodriguez was also excellent at the NFL Combine, leaping a 38.5 inch vertical and 10-foot-1 broad jump before running a 6.90 three-cone and 4.57 40. Those are outstanding testing results.

This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Raiders 3-round 2026 NFL mock draft: Post NFL Combine edition