30 IN 30 - AL WEST PREVIEW

Matteo Ruiz

Baseball is back! Since free agency has resumed, there have been plenty of major signings and trades to catch up on. Now that the dust has settled on most of the big names floating around the MLB’s hot stove, let’s take a look at what the AL West has to offer this season.

HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM

After finishing the 2021 campaign atop the AL West for the fourth time since 2017, the Houston Astros looked poised to repeat as division champions once again. Much of their forecasted success in the upcoming season hinged on their ability to retain star shortstop Carlos Correa. After losing him to Minnesota on a three-year deal, the Astros look relatively thin up the middle. Reliable utility infielder Aledmys Diaz looks to fill the gap temporarily while the Astros seek a suitable replacement for their franchise cornerstone. With Trevor Story

signing in Boston on a long-term deal and other big names quickly becoming unavailable, Houston will likely be searching for a cost-effective stopgap infielder to rotate in and out of the position next year. Also worth considering is third baseman Alex Bregman’s viability as a shortstop. Having played the position at LSU, Bregman could easily slide over and allow the Astros to widen their search for a new infielder.

A major strength of this Astros team is their young, but talented, pitching rotation. After losing veteran workhorse Zack Greinke to the Kansas City Royals, the Astros will need to compensate for about 200 quality innings of work. Supplemented by the return of the 2019 Cy Young Award winner in Justin Verlander, the effects of Greinke’s departure should be mitigated. This young rotation will look to take the next step to cement themselves as one of the best rotations in the big leagues. With most teams in the division actively becoming more competitive, the Astros will need to be smart about their upcoming moves if they hope to continue their reign over the West.

THE MARINERS CONTINUE TO STOCK UP

Are curses in the sports world real? Ask any Mariners fan and they’d be happy to confirm your suspicions. It’s been 20 seasons since the Mariners have reached the playoffs. Led by Ichiro, the 2001 Mariners tied the record for most wins in a season with 116. Though many of the last 20 have seemed feeble in comparison, Mariners fans were treated to an incredible season last year. This squad consistently beat the odds, finding ways to squeak out some scrappy victories against the MLB’s best teams for a total of 90 wins – finishing just short of a wildcard appearance in the hypercompetitive American League.

Not satisfied with last year’s performance, the Mariners have been very aggressive this offseason in acquiring players to pair with their young core and help this team win now. A dilapidated pitching staff received a major upgrade after the M’s signed the reigning AL Cy Young, Robbie Ray before the lockout. After losing former ace Yusei Kikuchi to the Toronto Blue Jays, the Mariners look to run it back with a rotation featuring a new star and the same supporting cast. If last year wasn’t a fluke, the Mariners should feel very confident in their retooled staff.

In what might be viewed as one of the most surprising trades of the offseason thus far, the Mariners acquired OF Jesse Winker and 3B Eugenio Suarez from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for prospect capital. Adding two established All-Star sluggers to any lineup instantly makes any team more competitive, but this news is even more exciting for a Mariners team that seems to be once piece away from success.

Though Suarez’s recent offensive struggles are well documented, he’ll get plenty of chances at third base as a result of Kyle Seager’s retirement. Pulling the ball at a near 50% clip, Suarez will almost certainly get on base more often this year as new rules relating to the shift should open up the left side of the field for him to revive his career in the American League. After a very successful offseason, the Mariners are well equipped to dethrone the Astros and become the best in the West for the first time in two decades.

FIRE SALE IN OAKLAND

Oakland… we’re not mad, we’re just disappointed. After an 86-win season, many hoped the A’s would consider adding to their impressive core of position players and developing arms. Unfortunately for the Athletics, old habits die hard as their tight budget forced them to once again make the difficult decision to gut their team and lighten the salary load. In the span of two days, star first baseman Matt Olson and platinum glover Matt Chapman were shipped off to the Braves and Blue Jays respectively. In return, Oakland received a plethora of young players with varying potential. Highlights of the incoming group include the defensive-minded catcher Shea Langeliers and first round selection RHP Gunnar Hoglund.

If there’s anything Oakland can do well, it’s player development. The only problem with great player development is that home grown talent only comes cheap for a limited time. Eventually, the stars that emerge from Oakland’s latest prospect haul will seek new contracts and continue the inevitable cycle of disappointment in the Bay Area. I’m sure the big market franchises will really appreciate their efforts though…

As Oakland looks to embark on a new chapter and cut even more weight from a team whose composition can best be described as a patchwork excuse for a professional baseball team, they lay claim to one of the worst lineups in the MLB. Welcome back to the basement, Oakland.

THE ANGELS LOOK TO RESURRECT THEIR PLAYOFF HOPES

On paper, the Los Angeles Angels are one of the MLB’s most talented teams. With a lineup featuring three MVP calibre players in Anthony Rendon, Mike Trout, and the reigning AL MVP Shohei Ohtani, the Angels are a scary team to face when fully healthy. Unfortunately for them, that hasn’t been the case in recent years, as the three stars have yet to take the field together under optimal conditions. This year, Spring Training comes with some welcome news for the Halos as their offensive core has never felt better and is finally ready to make some noise in the West.

Though many critics of the Angels cite their lack of pitching talent as an explanation for their struggles, they appear to have made an attempt to address these issues in the offseason. Noah Syndergaard looks to form a daunting two-headed monster with Ohtani as reliable arms in Michael Lorenzen and Patrick Sandoval provide much needed depth. The rookie southpaw Reid Detmers also looks to break out and earn a spot in the rotation if given the opportunity. To go along with their slept-on rotation, the Angels have quietly developed a quality bullpen featuring the untouchable Raisel Iglesias. Adding Archie Bradley and Ryan Tepera should help to provide quality relief innings that will allow the Angels to lock down some very important, close games.

While there’s no guarantee that the talent of this team translates from the scorecard to the win column, the Angels should have a lot to look forward to if their team can stay healthy. Though it might not be the year to go all-in on a playoff run, the Angels hope to finally reap the fruits of their labour and begin the slow journey back to relevancy.

EVERYTHING’S BIGGER IN TEXAS

The Texas Rangers lost 102 games last season, but you wouldn’t be able to tell from the offseason they just had. Handing out two of this offseason’s largest contracts, the Rangers shelled out major money to acquire the services of two top middle infielders: Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager and Blue Jays second baseman Marcus Semien. Though the two have teamed up to form the MLB’s best double-play combo by a longshot, it’s a little bit like parking a Ferrari in a run-down tool shed. To put it bluntly, there isn’t much talent surrounding the two superstars and there is little reason to believe this team can win any more than 75 games. Though the additions of Jon Gray and Mitch Garver certainly help this team, the Rangers are still a long way away from being competitive.

Regardless of their success this season, the Rangers are breaking new ground by taking on what I like to call the Reverse Rebuild. By signing two superstars to long-term deals, the Rangers have essentially set their own playoff window at around 3-4 years from now. Between now and then, they’ll need to be active in free agency and draft promising college-age players that can have an impact at the Major League level as soon as possible. It’s a unique strategy to say the least, and only time will tell if it pays off. One comforting aspect of this decision for Texas is that if their reverse rebuild doesn’t work out, they’ll have no problem moving either Semien or Seager for high profile prospects that should enable them to embark on a more traditional rebuild. If you’re the Rangers, you’ve got nothing to lose except baseball games!