Spring training is just around the corner and the AL West looks to be one of the most competitive divisions in baseball. There have been quite a few changes in these five teams rosters, and these next few months are the time to put it all together before Opening Day.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Angels overtook the A’s in the West last season to win the division, unfortunately they were swept by the Kansas City Royals in the ALDS ending their World Series hopes. They have been relatively quiet this offseason, but already have a solid roster in place when healthy.
When it comes to the starting rotation, Tyler Skaggs is expected to miss the entire 2015 season after Tommy John Surgery, but the Angels will still send out a solid starting pitcher every night. Jered Weaver is expected to be fully healthy this season after a few trips to the disabled list in 2014. The loss of Garrett Richards was expected to be devastating to this rotation last season, but they were able to rally and still win the division. His return will greatly help this team in 2015, but they will take it easy with him during his return and hope he will return to 2014 form.
Early on in the 2014 season, the Angels bullpen was not sharp. They went out and got Huston Street and Jason Grilli to fix that problem, but with Grilli gone, there are questions revolving around the bullpen.
The Halos offense always has the potential to pick up the slack if the pitchers have an off night with sluggers like Mike Trout and Albert Pujols in the everyday lineup. This spring the Angels will look to remain healthy and build a stronger chemistry as they look to take the division for the second consecutive season.
Oakland Athletics
The A’s have gone through a lot of change this winter. They didn’t end the 2014 campaign the way they wanted to, but all they can do now is move on from it with their new acquisitions. The green and gold’s spring training will not only include competition, but a meet and greet as there are several new faces to this team.
When Billy Beane dealt All Star third baseman Josh Donaldson to the Toronto Blue Jays for Brett Lawrie it was quite the shock to the baseball world. Donaldson seemed like the perfect guy to be the A’s franchise player for the next few years while he was under team control and relatively cheap in Oakland terms, but Beane pulled off a typical Billy Beane move and now Lawrie is the everyday third baseman. Only problem is Lawrie has a history of injury; playing only 70 games last year. He has some big shoes to fill and his performance this spring will be crucial as all eyes will be on him as Donaldson’s replacement.
The A’s solved their second base problem with the acquisition of Ben Zobrist, but there’s still a situation over at short. They had also acquired Yunel Escobar with Zobrist, but turned around and dealt him as well. Now Marcus Semien looks to be the everyday shortstop with Eric Sogard as a backup. He’ll have to perform this spring to put the A’s in good shape heading into the season.
There will also be a bit of competition amongst A’s pitchers this spring. With Jeff Samardzija, Jason Hammel, and Jon Lester gone, the only pitchers guaranteed a spot in the rotation (from last season) are Sonny Gray, Scott Kazmir, and most likely Jesse Chavez. While Jarrod Parker and A.J. Griffin are expected back this season, they won’t be ready by Opening Day, leaving a few spots open for the taking. Those competing for said positions will be Drew Pomeranz, Jesse Hahn, Chris Bassitt, Sean Nolin, and Kendall Graveman. The bullpen will also have some readjustments with Sean Doolittle expected to miss the beginning of the season.
The A’s will look to rebound from a disappointing 2014 this spring and prepare to make another postseason run come Opening Day.
Seattle Mariners
The M’s nearly made the postseason last year, but came up just a bit short. They’ve had a successful offseason while bringing in a power bat in Nelson Cruz, which is just what they needed to build off a strong 2014 season.
As they enter spring training, their rotation is stacked with talent led by the one and only King Felix Hernandez. Their rotation has been their area of strength, but the past few seasons they have added a few key bats to create some balance to help out the starting pitching.
The addition of Cruz was huge for this team. He had a great 2014 season with the Baltimore Orioles hitting .271 with 40 homeruns and 108 RBI. Along with Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager, Cruz will add a lot of pop to this lineup. Seattle has also brought in Seth Smith, who is a serviceable outfielder with upside at the plate.
The Mariners biggest need was offensive production. This offseason they went out and got just that. It will be interesting to see how the lineup develops in spring and how the newcomers gel as they look to make a serious run this season.
Houston Astros
The Astros finished 2014 in fourth place and have had quite a busy offseason. They have brought in a new coaching staff while continuing to retool a young roster.
This offseason, the Astros have added Hank Conger, Jed Lowrie, Evan Gattis, Colby Rasmus, Luke Gregerson, Pat Neshek, Dan Straily, and Luis Valbuena. Houston already has a few players putting up great numbers such as Jose Altuve, and the new additions will create a better overall team.
Entering spring, the Astros have hopes of contending in 2015. They showed last season they have up and coming talent by playing a hard fought nine innings. The progress of this club and how the new additions benefit a young rebuilding team will all start in spring training and transfer over to the regular season as they attempt to build off 2014.
Texas Rangers
The Rangers had a disappointing 2014 season ruined by injury as they finished in last place of the AL West. With both Prince Fielder and Yu Darvish’s seasons being cut short, they suffered on the mound and at the plate. Both are expected to be 100 percent when reporting this spring, and they are crucial to the success or lack of by the Rangers.
They have been quiet this offseason, but have a talented roster capable of competing when healthy, that is the biggest concern. The rotation greatly struggled with the injury losses of Darvish, Martin Perez, Derek Holland, and Matt Harrison, so in an effort to boost the starting rotation, the Rangers acquired Yovani Gallardo, who has solid career numbers.
After a quiet offseason, the Rangers will enter spring training hoping to stay healthy and get the best production from their top players.