Commish Preview: American League West

American League West

2023 Standings:

Los Angeles 93-69

Oakland 80-82

Houston 77-85

Texas 70-92

Seattle 67-95

Offseason Review:

The two time defending American League Champion Los Angeles Angels were quiet all offseason until the late stages when they added Max Muncy to their starting lineup and filled out the bench with Victor Caratini and Ehire Adrianza. Still, the obvious big addition to this club is getting Shohei Ohtani back from the elbow ligament reconstruction surgery that saw him only make three starts on the mound and eight games in the field in 2023. The Oakland A's were one of my biggest disappointments in 2023, both with how they failed to capitalize on Ohtani missing the year and their collapse down the stretch. Still, they return a very good club with one of the best rotations in the game. A roster built from within, expect Brayan Buelvas to be a ROTY favorite as we enter the season. The offseason objective of the Houston Astros was very clear, go out and add more power to the lineup without blocking anybody long term. Mission accomplished as the Astros agreed to one year deals with Jorge Soler, Rhys Hoskins and Miguel Sano. Oh, and then there's that Luis Severino guy to help anchor their rotation. It was another exciting offseason in Texas! The Rangers shedded the salaries of several long term fixtures, including prize international signing from just one year ago Seiya Suzuki. Out are Marcus Stroman, Jesse Winker and Paul DeJong. In are Will Smith, Josh Bell, Kevin Gausman and Pablo Lopez. Texas has shown that they want to win, but will it be enough? Finally, the Mariners made a few signings to fill out their roster. Willians Astudillo will take over behind the plate while Hunter Dozier will fill in at first base full time after a solid 2023 season platooning in Atlanta.

2024 Thoughts:

The Angels are the two time defending American League Champions for a reason. I think it will be much of the same in 2024 with the return of Shohei Ohtani. I think the Athletics should be in wildcard contention, but there's no doubt the division has gotten better. I've already touched on Buelvas, but whether the young infielders are able to take a step forward could be the deciding factor on whether the A's can put their 2023 collapse behind them and get back to the postseason. The Astros are an interesting team that I, quite frankly, have loved what they've done. The outfield defense is going to resemble that of a circus act, but these guys are going to hit and they're not going to need trash cans to do it. Whitley-Severino-Urquidy and Patino, when he returns, should be a formidable rotation and Yordan Alvarez is going to lead potentially the biggest power lineup in the bigs. I love the Rangers desire to win, I'll start with that. Offseason after offseason they try to improve the club to get back to the postseason. It hasn't been successful to this point, but the additions of Will Smith behind the plate and Kevin Gausman to the rotation are a great start. Everybody raves about the talent pipeline coming through the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants systems. While praise is certainly deserved, this Seattle Mariners system belongs on that level. Julio Rodriguez, Noelvi Marte, Nick Gonzales, Jose Aguilar, Jonatan Clase are just a few names to keep your eye on, as all should see time at the Major League level at some point this year. Add in Jarred Kelenic, and this has the makings of a very young and fun lineup very soon.

Overall, its a very improved division, but its still the Angels division, and league, to lose.

Final Prediction:

1. Los Angeles Angels 94-68

2. Houston Astros 83-79

3. Oakland Athletics 77-85

4. Seattle Mariners 70-92

5. Texas Rangers 69-93

*All thoughts and predictions are for entertainment purposes only. Please do not take things personally and I would love to be proven wrong by each GM.