ST. PETERSBURG -- This much became clear after four days at the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville, Tenn., the sprawling, domed home of this year’s Winter Meetings: The American League East isn’t about to get any easier for the Rays.

First came a report that the Blue Jays had secretly met with Shohei Ohtani, putting Toronto on a short list of expected finalists for the game’s best player. Then the Orioles, fresh off a 101-win season sparked by an enviable core of young talent, showed a newfound willingness to spend by dropping $13 million for closer Craig Kimbrel.

Finally, late Wednesday night, came the biggest move of the week. The Yankees landed Juan Soto, one of baseball’s best hitters putting together a potential Hall of Fame career, in a blockbuster trade with the Padres. New York, like Boston, is also in pursuit of front-line starting pitching -- specifically touted free agent Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Baseball’s best division could be even better next year.

“We say this a lot, and I do think it just is what it is. This division, the AL East, especially now, there’s five really good clubs. There’s teams with a lot of history of being successful,” Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander said. “The names change each year, but in terms of talent coming into this division -- be it talent that’s being developed from organizations from within or that’s being brought in from the outside -- it is one of the constants that comes with competing in a division as challenging as this one.”

Of course, the Rays have proven themselves fully capable of handling that challenge. They’ve reached the postseason five years in a row, the longest streak in the division after the Yankees fell short this year. They won the AL East in 2020 and ’21 and finished two games behind the Orioles this past season.

And we know games aren’t won or lost in the offseason, much less by making headline-grabbing acquisitions. As the Soto rumors were swirling in Nashville, a colleague noted that the Yankees made a similarly massive trade for Giancarlo Stanton at the 2017 Winter Meetings. That same December day, the Rays completed a low-profile move for Joey Wendle, who produced more bWAR in four years with Tampa Bay (10.5) than Stanton has over six seasons in New York (8.3).

But the sheer volume of talent coming into the division will undoubtedly make life more difficult for the Rays, especially as they contemplate parting with a high-end starter in Tyler Glasnow and deal with the still-uncertain status of All-Star shortstop Wander Franco.

The Yankees and Red Sox aren’t happy after missing the postseason last year. The Blue Jays have a bunch of talented players with a desire for more, as proven by their pursuit of a generational superstar. And the Orioles, having emerged from their rebuild, pose a unique challenge as they continue to turn top prospects into valuable contributors.

“It makes it a lot more difficult. Baltimore, look, they were the best team in the division. You don't think they're going anywhere because of … the youth that they've built up, and they had a taste of success,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “It is a difficult division.”

On the bright side?

“I still will say that I like the more even-slated schedule where we're not playing [every team in the division] 19 times,” Cash said with a grin. “We'll take that.”

• A recap of the Rays’ activity at the Winter Meetings and a look at what’s next. Read more>>

•  The Rays re-signed reliever Chris Devenski on Day 2 of the Meetings. Read more>>

• I joined Rays Radio host Chris Adams-Wall, who put together three shows in Nashville, to talk about the Winter Meetings. Listen here>>

• MLB.com’s executive reporter Mark Feinsand broke down what might follow the Soto deal. Read more>>

With Michael Johns taking over as the Rays’ first-base coach, the organization needed to find a new manager for Triple-A Durham. The Rays have done that, promoting former Double-A Montgomery manager Morgan Ensberg to lead the Bulls.

Ensberg, 48, has spent 30 years in professional baseball and had been Montgomery’s manager since 2019. The former big league infielder gained additional dugout experience this offseason, as he managed in the Arizona Fall League.

“He did a really good job with that Montgomery group the four seasons he was there. He has that background that not many people have. He’s a really good manager,” Rays senior director of player development Blake Butera said. “Does a tremendous job of connecting with our players and forming those relationships, and he’s been there. He’s played in Triple-A. He’s played in the big leagues. He’s able to understand what those players are going to go through.”

Rays special assistant Bobby Heck was recognized as the East Coast Scout of the Year on Wednesday night during the 39th annual Scout of the Year Awards reception at the Winter Meetings. It was particularly meaningful, he said, because it was an award voted on by his fellow scouts.

“It’s the highest honor, I think, in what we do,” Heck said. “To have that type of respect from your peer group is pretty humbling.”

Heck began working full-time as a scout for the Rangers in 1995 and also spent time with the Brewers before serving as the Astros scouting director from 2008-12, when he led five Drafts that produced 25 big leaguers.

He spent a few years as a special assignment scout after joining the Rays in 2012, then transitioned into his current role as a special assistant, with Neander having tagged Heck with an additional title: his personal “left tackle.”

“It has been an honor and a privilege to work alongside Bobby,” Neander said. “Incredible talent evaluator but an even better person, an even better teammate that has been willing to do anything that has been needed of him. An incredible evaluator, but somebody that has been so much more than that.”

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