What does the AL West have in store this year? Let's find out
Houston Astros:
The Astros are still loaded, even though Charlie Morton is gone and Dallas Keuchel may not be coming back, not to mention the loss of Tony Sipp to Washington. The lineup is still solid, with George Springer, Carlos Correa, and Jose Altuve leading the way. They also bolstered the outfield with the acquisition of Michael Brantley. The Rotation and bullpen don't have quite as much depth as before, but they are still a solid threat.
Los Angeles Angels:
They just signed Mike Trout to a nice extension, keeping him in LA for his entire career. Shohei Ohtani won't be back until May, but Justin Upton remains a solid threat. They also acquired Justin Bour for $2.5 million, bolstering first base. Albert Pujols, who isn't what he once was, can still hit homers, and Andrelton Simmons was a nice revelation last year. They acquired Matt Harvey to make up for the loss of Matt Shoemaker. They also signed Jonathan Lucroy and added Cody Allen to compete for the closer role. This team has made decent signings, but are some more overall depth signings from making a serious push toward playoff contention.
Seattle Mariners
The M's completely overhauled their team this off-season. Dee Gordon returns, but they did lose ace James Paxton to the Yankees via trade. They added Tim Beckham for some middle infield stability, and they added Japanese star Yusei Kikuchi. They added Hunter Strickland to the bullpen, and traded Mike Zunino and some other players for Mallex Smith and Jake Fraley. They also landed Carlos Santana, only to flip him to Cleveland for Edwin Encarnacion as part of a 3 team trade. JP Crawford comes over from Philadelphia as well to shore up the middle infield. They also got Jay Bruce and Anthony Swarzak from the Mets, and added Kaleb Cowart from the Angels. This team looks to be a little better then last year, but the loss of Edwin Diaz and Robinson Cano stings.
Oakland Athletics
They signed Brett Anderson, Robbie Grossman, and Marco Estrada. Sean Manaea is out until May, but Estrada and Anderson should stabilize the rotation. Jeurys Familia is gone, and they didn't really do anything to replace him. The one major change to the lineup is the loss of Jed Lowrie, who joined the Mets on a 3 year deal. Expect this team to compete for the division lead again.
Texas Rangers
They added Asdrubal Cabrera, Hunter Pence, Shawn Kelley, Lance Lynn, and Shelby Miller. They lost Adrian Beltre to retirement and Bartolo Colon to free agency, but nothing else in significance. This team will definitely come in last in the West, and it appears to be this way for a few more years.
Division Assessment
The only team without a legitimate chance is the Rangers. The division is full of teams with playoff hopes, and the Astros hope to get back to the world series. This division will be interesting, so watch the AL West when you get the chance.
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