AL West

So how about the AL West . . .

Texas Rangers – Team President Nolan Ryan has made pitching a priority in Arlington, and rightfully so. The Rangers had the best offense in baseball in 2008 with a .283 average and 901 runs scored, and the worst pitching staff. They tied for 30th in starters ERA at 5.51 with Baltimore and had the worst bullpen ERA in baseball at 5.15 - even the ’27 Yankees wouldn’t have won with those numbers! Maybe Ryan will bring some sanity to the front office, because they have been feeding stars out to the rest of the league for virtually nothing for a few years now. John Danks, Chris Young, Adrian Gonzales to name a few – and while they got Josh Hamilton for Edinson Volquez, it had to irk them to watch Volquez blossom into an ace for Cincinnati. Add the fact that this decade they have spent 205 million on Kevin Millwood, Chan Ho Park, Darren Oliver, Kenny Rogers and Vicente Padilla . . . obviously not a recipe for success. Pitching is everything for them. Youngsters Matt Harrison and Scott Feldman both showed some promise, but also both sported 5-plus ERAs. Neftali Perez, who came over in the Teixeira deal, is raw but has nasty stuff (another name you might recognize from that trade who the Rangers love is SS Elvis Andrus). They made a run at the Japanese amateur from Nippon Oil Junichi Tazawa, and offered him more money than the Red Sox, but he wanted to play with Dice-K. That may be a blessing for the Rangers, however. They have been having open talks with the Sox, who want a catcher. The Rangers have a glut at the position with the emergence of Taylor Teagarden last year, so either Teagarden or Jarrod Saltalamacchia could be dealt in a deal for Clay Bucholz, Justin Masterson or Michael Bowden – the Sox have some flex with Tazawa. Marlon Byrd and Hank Blalock have also been mentioned in those talks. Another question mark for them is Milton Bradley. He was at the top of the AL leaderboard in a slew of offensive categories, and other than a slip up with the Royals broadcast team was on his best behavior. But he won’t be cheap. Bottom line, whatever happens to their pitching staff they still trot out Ian Kinsler, Michael Young and Josh Hamilton every night, so they will be dangerous in that respect.

Oakland A’s – Billy Beane wants back into contention. He has stockpiled an impressive array of young talent in dealing Dan Haren, Rich Harden, Nick Swisher, Mark Kotsay, Marco Scutaro and Joe Blanton last year – we have seen the results already with the Holliday trade. Holliday fills one of their holes – Oakland couldn’t score last year. Beane loves to find cheap free agents and wait until the end of the offseason to do it, so look for him to try and add another bat. Free agents Frank Thomas, Emil Brown and Keith Foulke likely won’t be back. And as is Beane’s habit, any player close to free agency is potential trade bait, so Bobby Crosby and All-Star Justin Duchscherer will most likely be dealt. Beane is a genius, but famously hard to predict! The A’s will live and die with their youth. Brad Ziegler and Joey Devine were both unhittable as rookies out of the bullpen, and much heralded prospects Daric Barton and Travis Buck look to emerge after disappointing ’08 campaigns. Add that to the rest of their front line bats and arms stewing in their farm system and Beane has a shot at bringing the A’s back into the mix. But that is a lot of youth to be reliant on.

Los Angeles Angels – Other than maybe a Tito Francona voodoo doll, what do the Angels, the 100-win Angels need? The Red Sox, once again, threw a wet blanket on an impressive regular season for Mike Scoscia’s group. However, the Angels may be the deepest team in baseball, following fellow Los Angeleno Pete Carroll’s philosophy of reloading every year and rabid competition among the youngsters. Obviously resigning Mark Teixeira is at the top of their list. Arte Moreno hasn’t been shy about opening his wallet, so either Teixeira or CC will most likely be in an Angel uniform next year. They picked up options on Vlad and John Lackey, but declined Garret Anderson’s – who promptly hired Scott Boras as an agent. Jon Garland is not going to be resigned, and Kelvim Escobar won’t be available until the All-Star break, so the Angels want another starter to bolster an already impressive rotation. Prospects Nick Adenhart and Olympian Kevin Jespen look to compete for a spot in the spring, but Adenhart was a disappointment in his albeit brief opportunities in ’08. K-Rod’s departure shouldn’t affect anything – expect Scot Shields and Jose Arredondo to compete for the closer spot. The Angels would love to see Reggie Willits develop into a starter, as well as give Sean Rodriguez a shot (despite his IF time in ‘08, his natural position is OF), so Gary Mathews, Jr. and Chone Figgins could both be put on the trading block. Mathews, however is expensive and coming off major knee surgery – he may be unmovable. He is a good athlete and may respond to a chance to play everyday in LF. Depth in the infield is ridiculous – Erick Aybar, Macier Izturis, Sean Rodriguez, Howie Kendrick, Brandon Wood, and Chone Figgins all will be competing for spots in Spring Training, as well as Jeff Mathis and Mike Napoli at catcher. Even if Moreno doesn’t manage to sign a big name, the Angels’ depth has to make them the favorite in the division.

Seattle Mariners – 100 million bucks for 100 losses? The Mariners were the first team in history to accomplish that feat, and still look to be a way from competing, especially in a division with the powerhouse Angels and Oakland and Texas clubs both on the upswing. The biggest news Seattle may make this offseason may be already done – signing new GM John Zdurienick and the MLB’s first Asian- American manager, Don Wakamatsu. Zdurienick is known as a top notch talent evaluator, so look for the Mariners to go into rebuilding mode. That means, Erik Bedard (if healthy after September arm surgery), Jarrod Washburn, Miguel Cairo, Carlos Silva, Adrian Beltre, and even (gasp!) Ichiro could be dealt. It could be a long process; they sold the farm for Bedard. They are losing their most consistent run producer, Raul Ibanez, to free agency. Even the most optimistic outlooks don’t look good, but they could at least give a gift to the fans in a rebuilding year by bringing back Ken Griffey, Jr. to finish his career in a Mariners uniform.