*Photo from sportspagedfw.com*
It's time for the team previews of everyone in the AL West for the 2020 season. There will be controversy abound in this division, and it's all because of the team at the top.
*Photo from NBC News*
Houston Astros
2019 record: 107-55
The Astros had just about the worst offseason imaginable. They were revealed to be cheating in their 2017 World Series winning season, and were fined, stripped of draft picks, and had their manager and GM suspended one year and then fired by owner Jim Crane. People are upset that the players got immunity, but i'm personally ok with it because I think MLB would never have found as much as it did if the players didn't have immunity. The Astros are the team in the MLB with the most to prove this year. If they can keep winning despite all the noise and complaining, they shut everyone up and have a chance at an untainted world series win. If they lose, then the noise will only get louder. Regardless of the offseason they had, they still have the talent to get it done, and they should be able to win the AL West again.
*Photo from Forbes*
Oakland Athletics
2019 record: 97-65
The A's are the team with the best shot of catching Houston in the AL West race. The offense is as potent as ever, with Khris Davis, Matt Chapman, and Matt Olson leading the way there. Marcus Semien had a breakout 2019 and will look to build off it in 2020. The pitching is still a little iffy, but they should be fine if Frankie Montas can last a full season(he was suspended 80 games for PED use) and Sean Manaea continues to be an ace. Liam Hendriks is still a dynamite closer, and they have quite good defense, with Chapman and Olson winning gold gloves last season. The question that remains is if they will be able to win the Wild Card Game, as Oakland has lost the last 5 playoff elimination games they've been in.
*Photo from Sports Illustrated*
Texas Rangers
2019 record: 78-84
The Rangers had a relatively quiet offseason, although they did land Corey Kluber by trade to be the new face of the rotation. Kluber has top tier talent, but he also has top tier struggles, so it remains to be seen just how well he'll be able to do in Texas. Outside of Kluber, it's mostly the same team Texas had last year, which doesn't bode well for success in 2020. At least Joey Gallo is a treat to watch.
*Photo from the Orange County Register*
Los Angeles Angels
2019 record: 72-90
Anthony. Rendon. You started off the offseason by landing one of the best players in the game. Rendon is quite the talent who locks down the hot corner for the Angels and creates a formidable middle of the lineup of Rendon, Shohei Ohtani, and Mike Trout. Unfortunately, Rendon isn't a pitcher, and you missed out on Gerrit Cole. Pitching has been the Angels biggest weakness for a while now, and even though Ohtani will return to pitching this year, only adding Julio Teheran and Dylan Bundy to the rotation doesn't inspire confidence over in that field. You also didn't do anything in the bullpen either, that's a shame. Jo Adell could make his debut this season, which will add even more offensive firepower, but if the pitching doesn't make meaningful improvement, it will be another long winter in Anaheim.
*Photo from the Seattle Times*
Seattle Mariners
2019 record: 68-94
Unfortunately, the Mariners are in full rebuild mode now, so they didn't do much this offseason. Despite how bad last year was, Dan Vogelbach emerged as a slugger in the middle of the lineup, and JP Crawford made several defensive gems at shortstop. That's about all the positives of this year as well. There's no true ace of the rotation. Marco Gonzales is good, but I don't think he's an ace just yet. Plus, they'll have to hope that last year was a fluke for Yusei Kikuchi, who had lots of struggles. There's something to watch here, but the Mariners are still years away from playoff contention.
Division Assessment:
The AL West will be a race between Houston and Oakland for first place. The Angels are good, but they don't have enough on the pitching side to truly compete this year. Same goes for the Rangers as well. If you can watch Houston or Oakland this year, do it. I guess the Angels are worth watching too, because of Trout, Rendon, and Ohtani hitting and pitching at the same time.
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