As the MLB season comes to a close, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Boston Red Sox are battling it out for AL East supremacy. While many expected the Red Sox to be in that position, the Rays have surprised many in their rise to the top.

While the Rays and Red Sox have been the main story this year, the rest of the division has impressed as well. In a down year for them, the Yankees and Blue Jays are still in a battle to avoid becoming the best 4th place team in baseball. From top to bottom, the AL East is the best division in baseball.

The Rays are one of the biggest stories in baseball this year, coming from having the worst record in baseball in 2007 to sitting atop the toughest division in baseball. But if anyone thinks that the Rays are a flash in the pan, think again. A majority of their young nucleus is wrapped up for several more years, including Carl Crawford (through 2010), Carlos Pena (2010), Scott Kazmir (2012), Akinori Iwamura (2010), Evan Longoria (2016) and uber-prospect David Price (2012). The Rays have mastered the art of signing excellent young players to long-term deals laced with club options, and it's paying off big time.

The Red Sox are another team with an outstanding young group of players. Last year's Rookie of the Year Dustin Pedroia is already one of the best second basemen in baseball, and has an outside shot at winning the 2008 AL MVP award at only 25 years old. Justin Masterson (23 years old), Jon Lester (24), Jed Lowrie (24), Jacoby Ellsbury (25), Jon Papelbon (26), Josh Beckett (28), Daisuke Matsuzaka (28), Jason Bay (29) and Kevin Youkilis (29) are all under 30, and all of them are likely to play a huge role in the Red Sox' continued success. They've won 2 World Series championships in the past 4 seasons, and could win a few more with their current group of players.

The Yankees are having a down year, but they are another team that no one should ever be willing to dismiss. They won't make the playoffs this year, but that certainly won't sit well with the Steinbrenners, and they are sure to make a lot of noise in free agency once again. And while they might not be happy in the Bronx, most teams would love to be sitting 10 games over .500 in the middle of September. In the AL Central, that would put a team square in the middle of the division race. In the NL West, the Yankees would have have a nice 2-game lead.

The Blue Jays have disappointed their fans all year as well. But on the strength of a recent surge, they are also 10 games over .500, and threatening to push the Yankees down into 4th place in the division. With Roy Halladay, AJ Burnett, Shawn Marcum and Jesse Litsch, the Blue Jays have as good a rotation as anyone else in the AL. If their lineup (11th in the AL) could improve, the Jays would be a huge threat, as they have been to the AL Central recently, winning 9 of their last 11 against the Tigers, Twins and White Sox. They swept the Rays earlier this month, and are showing their fans that next year could be a big year for them in Toronto.

Even the lowly Orioles are getting in on the action. Right now, they are 22 games out of 1st place, and have been mathematically eliminated for weeks. However, out of all last place teams, the Orioles are not only the best, they are the most likely to improve. Their front office has been largely unsuccessful in recent years, but they managed to slice about $30M off their payroll from 2007. If they once again show a commitment to acquiring some quality free agents, they could definitely make some big strides in the offseason. That is, assuming they don't spend tons of money on the next Albert Belle, a guy who took tons of the Orioles' money, but only played for about a season and a half before retiring, due to a degenerative hip condition.

Next year will be an exciting one in the AL East. Will the Rays be able to contend for the division title again? Will the Yankees be back to regain what was theirs for the better part of a decade? Will the Orioles and Blue Jays return to glory? Will the Red Sox continue their recent run of success and win another World Series? It's tough to tell, but one thing is for certain. From top to bottom, the AL East is head and shoulders above any other division in baseball, and the gap will only continue to widen in the future.