The American League East used to have it all: world champions, pennant-winners, great rivalries and above all, talent.

The open checkbook of the Steinbrenner family and the very generous checkbook of the Red Sox meant that the best and the brightest in baseball wound up on the Yankees and Red Sox more often than not, with the Orioles, Blue Jays and sometimes the Rays striking it rich as well.

Now, the bloom is off the rose.

The best and most exciting players in baseball — Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Clayton Kershaw, Giancarlo Stanton, Andrew McCutchen, Kris Bryant, Felix Hernandez, Miguel Cabrera, to name a few — all reside outside of the AL East.

Perhaps the talent dearth is only temporary. Until we find out, here is a position-by-position ranking of where and how thinly the talent is spread out in the division, with an eye to the next couple of seasons as well. Age and past performance will sometimes trump a player’s 2015 performance. Other times what we see now is the best there is.

If only there was more to choose from. (Stats through Thursday’s games.)

• First base:

1. Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays. Age, 32. 2015 WAR: 0.5. Career WAR: 19.6

2. Chris Davis, Orioles. Age, 29. 2015 WAR: 0.4. Career WAR: 9.9

3. Mike Napoli, Red Sox. Age, 33. 2015 WAR: -0.3. Career WAR: 25.3

4. Mark Teixeira, Yankees. Age, 35. 2015 WAR: 1.7. Career WAR: 50.3

5. James Loney, Rays. Age 31. 2015 WAR: 0.1. Career WAR: 12.5

It’s nice to have great defense at every position, but in this exercise, first base is all about offense. Encarnacion has the best and most reliable power in the division at a position that demands it. He is starting to get hot now, too, which no doubt serves as an obvious source of bias to rankers. Davis is three years younger than Encarnacion and should have the brightest future. He is, however, off to a slow start in what should be a bounce-back year for him. If Napoli were not so streaky, he would have a case to be ranked much closer to Encarnacion based primarily on how good of a defender he has become. But he’s also older than both Encarnacion and Davis. Teixeira looks like his old self but he does not get the benefit of the doubt because of his recent track record of lingering injuries. Loney’s a valuable cog for a team with strengths at other positions.

• Second base:

1. Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox. Age 31. 2015 WAR: 1.3. Career WAR: 41.3

2. Logan Forsythe, Rays. Age 28. 2015 WAR: 1.4. Career WAR: 3.7

3. Steven Pearce, Orioles. Age 32. 2015 WAR: 0.1. Career WAR: 6.7

4. Devon Travis, Blue Jays. Age 24. 2015 WAR: 1.5. Career WAR: 1.5

5. Stephen Drew, Yankees. Age 32. 2015 WAR: 0.2. Career WAR: 16.1

After Pedroia, there is very little to tout. Despite his lack of success knocking in baserunners this season, Pedroia still remains a threat at the plate and in the field. He has few peers in either league. His talent is of the caliber that used to be taken for granted in this division. (Think Derek Jeter.)

The other four are hard to get too excited about. Forsythe has some good value, if only for his ability to play at other infield positions as well as the outfield. Same can be said for Pearce. Travis, a diminutive rookie, is off to a nice start but, unlike fellow shorty Pedroia, his minor league offensive resume suggests it’s a hot start that cannot be maintained. Drew is well known around here, which means nobody should be surprised that he ranks dead last in his first season at a new position.

• Shortstop:

1. J.J. Hardy, Orioles. Age 32. 2015 WAR: 0.0. Career WAR: 26.8.

2. Xander Bogaerts, Red Sox. Age 22. 2015 WAR: 0.9. Career WAR: 1.6

3. Asdrubal Cabrera, Rays. Age 29. 2015 WAR: 0.4. Career WAR: 20.8.

4. Didi Gregorius, Yankees. Age 25. 2015 WAR 0.0. Career WAR 2.6

5. Ryan Goins, Rays. Age 27. 2015 WAR: 0.4. Career WAR: 1.8.

This position is Exhibit A when held up to the days when Jeter and Nomar Garciaparra ruled the roost. Hardy, who missed the first month of the season with a shoulder issue, is a steady, reliable, good and entirely unremarkable shortstop. Teams do not need a superstar at every position and Hardy most certainly is not one, but he is a nice asset for any team. Bogaerts, the youngest of this quintet by three crucial years, has the highest ceiling of all. Whether he reaches it is up in the air.

• Third base:

1. Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays. Age 29. 2015 WAR: 2.2. Career WAR: 18.4

2. Evan Longoria, Rays. Age 29. 2015 WAR: 1.4. Career WAR: 40.8

3. Manny Machado, Orioles. Age 22. 2015 WAR 1.6. Career WAR: 12.3

4. Pablo Sandoval, Red Sox. Age 28 2015 WAR: 0.6. Career WAR: 21.4

5. Chase Headley, Yankees. Age 31. 2015 WAR: -0.3. Career WAR: 20.9

This is the positional jackpot in the division. Donaldson, a fiery competitor, has thrived on his new team and is putting up big numbers and making a big impression so far. If only Longoria had the same type of offensive contemporaries near him in the batting order, we all could see just how good a hitter he is. He does not have that kind of protection in Tampa, so he is quietly playing the best years of his career in relative obscurity. Machado has a chance at being better than either Donaldson or Longoria — he just has to stay healthy.

Sandoval is no stranger by now. An excellent defender, Sandoval was beginning to hit his stride offensively before he joined in a team-wide slump. He needs to stop switch-hitting. Headley is not a distant fifth here, but he is not elite.

• Left Field:

1. Hanley Ramirez, Red Sox. Age 31. 2015 WAR: -0.2. Career WAR: 36.2

2. Brett Gardner, Yankees. Age 31. 2015 WAR: 0.9. Career WAR: 24.5

3. Alejando De Aza, Orioles. Age 31. 2015 WAR: 0.1. Career WAR: 6.3

4. Brandon Guyer, Rays. Age 29. 2015 WAR: 0.9. Career WAR: 2.7

5. Danny Valencia, Blue Jays. Age 30. 2015 WAR: 0.6. Career WAR: 2.4.

Ramirez and Gardner are really the only two above-average talents at this position, with De Aza having his moments. There are not many similarities between Ramirez and Gardner, defensively or offensively. Ramirez is a poor outfielder, who perhaps will get better. His current slump notwithstanding, his bat is elite. Gardner is still underrated. His game is speed and defense, with a pretty good bat as well. Real nice player, just not an elite left fielder. De Aza has some pop, that’s about it. Guyer and Valencia are not on a Hall of Fame trajectory.

• Center field:

1. Adam Jones, Orioles. Age 29. 2015 WAR: 1.5. Career WAR: 25.8

2. Jacoby Ellsbury, Yankees. Age 31. 2015 WAR: 1.4. Career WAR: 25.9

3. Mookie Betts, Red Sox. Age 22. 2015 WAR: 1.3. Career WAR: 3.4

4. Kevin Kermaier, Rays. Age 25. 2015 WAR: 1.7. Career WAR: 5.3

5. Kevin Pillar, Blue Jays. Age 26. 2015 WAR: 0.9. Career WAR: 1.7

Jones is clearly the best of this bunch, a five-tool talent who is having an MVP-caliber season. And he’s still under 30. Ellsbury was off to a great start but in a shock to nobody, he is hurt. Again. Betts’ future appears bright, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. He is not posting eye-popping numbers.

• Right field:

1. Carlos Beltran, Yankees. Age 38. 2015 WAR: -0.5. Career WAR: 66.9

2. Shane Victorino, Red Sox. Age 34. 2015 WAR: 0.6. Career WAR: 31.6

3. Delmon Young, Orioles. Age 29. 2015 WAR: 0.3. Career WAR: 2.7

4. Steven Souza, Rays. Age 26. 2015 WAR: 0.0. Career WAR: 0.0

5. Chris Colabello, Blue Jays. Age 31. 2015 WAR: 0.4. Career WAR: -0.7

Feel free to reverse the order of this grouping. Nobody deserves a No. 1 ranking, based on (pick one): age, injury history, one-dimensional ability, unproven or no track record.

• Catcher:

1. Brian McCann, Yankees. Age 31. 2015 WAR: 0.4. Career WAR: 25.6

2. Russell Martin, Blue Jays. Age 32. 2015 WAR: 1.7. Career WAR: 31.6

3. Matt Wieters, Orioles. Age 29. 2015 WAR: 0.0. Career WAR: 13.6

4. Rene Rivera, Rays. Age 31. 2015 WAR: -1.2. Career WAR: 2.3

5. Blake Swihart, Red Sox. Age 23. 2015 WAR: -0.5. Career WAR: -0.5

McCann is still young enough that he could and should put up big numbers again. Martin is a good defensive catcher, who is more consistent than McCann without as much pop. Both are very good but elite? Not quite. Wieters is coming off Tommy John surgery, and the jury is out if he can regain his elite status. Rivera has a pulse. Swihart still needs more seasoning, although his potential as a big-leaguer is high, just not necessarily as a catcher.

• Designated hitter:

1. David Ortiz, Red Sox. Age 39. 2015 WAR: 0.3. Career WAR: 47.5

2. Jose Bautista, Blue Jays. Age 34. 2015 WAR: 1.0. Career WARL 29.7

3. Alex Rodriguez, Yankees. Age 39. 2015 WAR: 0.9. Career WAR: 116.7

4. Jimmy Paredes, Orioles. Age 26. 2015 WAR: 1.5. Career WAR: 0.0

5. David DeJesus, Rays. Age 2015 WAR: 1.1. Career WAR: 24.1

Ortiz has not reached the end of the road, and still must be considered the best DH in the game, although the margin is shrinking. Bautista should be better than he has produced so far this season, so an injury is likely limiting him. He should be a DH full time in order to stay healthy and could be better than anyone. Rodriguez seems to have rediscovered his power stroke — a miracle!

• TOP OF Rotations:

1. Jake Odorizzi, Chris Archer, Nate Karns, Rays. Combined 2015 WAR: 3.1. Combined career WAR: 9.3

2. Miguel Gonzalez, Wei-Yin Chen, Ubaldo Jimenez, Orioles. Combined 2015 WAR: 2.6 Combined Career WAR: 36.0

3. CC Sabathia, Michael Pineda, Nate Eovaldi, Yankees. Combined 2015 WAR: 2.2 Combined career WAR: 65.4

4. Rick Porcello, Clay Buchholz, Wade Miley, Red Sox. Combined 2015 WAR: 0.8. Career WAR: 30.0

5. R.A. Dickey, Drew Hutchison, Mark Buehrle, Blue Jays. Combined 2015 WAR: -0.3. Combined career WAR: 76.4

The Rays get the top nod by virtue of who’s not pitching so far: Matt Moore, Alex Cobb and Drew Smyly. Assuming they come back by next year, the Rays are the clear leaders in terms of promising young arms. Chris Tillman of the Orioles is struggling this year, but Baltimore has good young arms as well, on top of Gonzalez, Chen and Jimenez. Pineda has been phenomenal but the Yankees need more young arms. So do the Red Sox and Blue Jays, the latter of which at least have Marcus Stroman coming back next year.

• Closer:

1. Zach Britton, Orioles. Age 27. 2015 WAR: 0.3. Career WAR: 3.3

2. Andrew Miller, Yankees. Age 30. 2015 WAR: 1.1. Career WAR: 0.9

3. Koji Uehara, Red Sox. Age 40. 2015 WAR: 0.6. Career WAR: 12.2

4. Brett Cecil, Blue Jays. Age 28. 2015 WAR: 0.1. Career WAR: 5.6

5. Brad Boxberger, Rays. Age 27. 2015 WAR: 0.8. Career WAR: 2.8

Britton is the best closer in the division, if only because he has shown he can do it over a substantial time period. Miller looks very promising, virtually unhittable, but let’s give him a full season to prove himself. Uehara still needs a couple more months of dominance to show he is back to 2013 form, but will anyone be shocked if the 40-year-old does not get there?