We are a much better team (on paper) this year than last, and the off-season is not over. Thus far, the Orioles are much worse, the Yankees are much worse and the Red Sox have a rotation that is held together with rubber bands and thumb tacks... Even with the lack of an "ace" there's an argument to be made that we have the best rotation in the AL East (and I've seen it made on respectable websites beyond this forum). The only area where we're obviously weaker than our direct competition is the bullpen, and bullpens are the most volatile s*** in baseball (see Delebar, Steve and Ryan, B.J. for examples from this team...)
Obviously the caveat is: The games have to be played... However, this is a team that, as currently constructed, should be in the thick of the AL East race. Oh... And opening day is almost four months away, LOTS of time to make additional moves.
Edit: I wrote "best rotation in baseball", I meant "best rotation in the AL East". Goddamn you, Monday morning!