The AL West is shaping up to be one of the most competitive divisions in baseball. With the A’s, Angels, and Mariners continuing to make strides, the Rangers and Astros look to stock up on young talent and show vast improvement in 2015. Its been a semi-busy offseason for two teams thus far in the AL West, with a few blockbuster trades and big free agent signings.
Here’s a quick review of these offseason moves.
First up, the Oakland A’s. General Manager Billy Beane has been busy the last few months, signing free agent Billy Butler, acquiring Ike Davis, and trading Josh Donaldson to the Blue Jays for Brett Lawrie and three top-ranked prospects.
Butler was signed to a three-year $30 million deal. The green and gold experienced an offensive lull last season, and are hoping Butler can provide some spark at the plate. Speaking of that offensive lull, they will have their work cut out for them to reach the same offensive production without their best overall player in Donaldson.
The trade came as a shock, but this could be viewed as a typical Billy Beane move; dealing his best player at his highest value to get the most prospects in return. Lawrie will be his replacement at third.
Oakland was still considered a top contender for 2015 with immense talent, but after dealing Donaldson, they could be in trouble next season.
Ike Davis is a low-risk high-reward situation, and he may even be turned around and dealt by Beane. They now have depth at first base, but possibly too much of it with Butler, Brandon Moss, Stephen Vogt, and now Davis as viable options.
The A’s have been in the thick of this division race for three years now with two AL West titles, but their competition has improved in that span. While the A’s are losing key players, teams like the Seattle Mariners are adding game changers.
Seattle nearly made the postseason in 2014, but due to a slow start missed out on the opportunity. They’ll look to change that in 2015.
Their starting rotation is impressive and stacked with young talent; their problem was at the plate. Offensively, they struggled to score runs, especially in the early months of the season, which was the difference maker. The M’s have been relatively quiet early in the offseason, but made a splash this week signing Nelson Cruz.
Cruz has reportedly agreed to a four-year $57 million contract with the Mariners as he returns to the AL West. Last year with the Baltimore Orioles, the slugger led the majors with 40 homeruns and finished third in the AL with 108 RBI. Cruz was an important contributor to the O’s postseason run.
Safeco Field isn’t considered a hitter-friendly park, and Cruz’s numbers are expected to regress some, but regardless he is a legitimate power threat and will greatly help this Mariners lineup.
A need for the M’s was a big bat, and they went out and got one.
The other AL West teams have stood pat so far, but it’s only early December.
When it comes to the Halos, they need pitching help, particularly starting pitching. The Rangers struggled in 2014 due to health issues, but their rotation could also use some finetuning. Lastly, the Astros are a team in progress. They showed improvement last year, but still finished last in the division. They have many needs, but also have several young up-and-coming players in the organization.
It’s still early and each AL West team still has holes to fill. Expect more moves to be made as the offseason continues.