As Spring Training contests officially begin tomorrow, we start our 2024 MLB Preview Series. First up, the division that hosted the best and worst in baseball from 2023, the AL West.
FINAL STANDINGS PREDICTIONS AT THE END!
Oakland Athletics
The Skinny: Who the hell knows what’s going on in Oakland? I don’t think the front office and ownership even know anymore. First, they were slam dunk going to Las Vegas. Now, the Mayor of Las Vegas came out and said to STAY AWAY and restructure their contract with the city of Oakland.
That’s just a quick synopsis of their problems off the field, but don’t worry, there's plenty to worry about on the field. The Oakland Athletics are coming off of back-to-back 100-loss seasons. The franchise only has three TOTAL 100 loss seasons since they moved to Oakland in 1979.
The team was full of role players last season, and a “star” never really shined out of the bunch. They used several different pitchers throughout the year, both because of injury and performance. If you were to look at the roster and find one guy to point out it would have to be second baseman Zack Gelof. Gelof didn’t make his Athletics debut until mid-July and instantly became not only the most exciting player on roster but their most productive.
The Athletics held the smallest salary cap in the MLB last season and did not make any splash signings this offseason to change that. They virtually sat and watched as big teams went out there and paid players north of 75% of the Oakland franchise’s total roster salary. Their biggest move came via trade with the Giants, where they acquired veteran reliever Ross Stripling. He is their highest-paid player now, the Giants had to include money in the trade so the Athletics could afford him.
The Bottom Line: I’m not expecting much in Oakland this year. I hope I’m not writing this next year talking about their third 100-loss season in a row. I also have no idea where they will be playing this time next year. Good luck, Athletics fans, you’re in my thoughts and prayers.
LA Angels
The Skinny: The obvious way to start this one is by discussing one man, Shohei Ohtani. Much has been made of Ohtani packing up his Angels red for Dodgers blue. More importantly for the Angels, where do they turn next?
Even with two of the best players in the league last season sitting in the middle of their lineup, Shohei and Mike Trout, the Angels spent most of the season at the bottom of the AL West. In 2023, it seemed the injury bug plagued their potential. Ohtani missed significant time on the mound, as well as Trout missing the back half of the season. Anthony Rendon played less than 45 games.
Many suspected the Angles to move on from Ohtani at the trade deadline and get a significant return on a late-season rental for his talent. Instead, the Angels were buyers. Adding Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, CJ Cron, and Randal Grichuk. All moves backfired and the Angels went into the tank. Another fourth-place finish led to the firing of Manager Phil Nevin.
This offseason the Angels hired long-time MLB Manager and Assistant Coach Ron Washington to lead the squad. Besides that, they didn’t make many moves. They signed some veteran players to compete for roster spots, as well as focusing mostly on their bullpen. Letting most of their free agents leave for greener pastures, the Angels are left with serious holes in their lineup.
The Bottom Line: The Angels are banking on top prospect Nolan Schanuel to become an impact first baseman in the lineup this year. Along with hoping Ron Washington can once again prove to be a miracle worker. Some are still holding out hope that free agent Starting Pitcher Blake Snell and Outfielder Cody Bellinger, who have been linked to LA, will hop on board and join the squad. Given Los Angeles’ track record with big free-agent acquisitions, I’m not holding my breath.
If some serious moves aren’t taken before the beginning of the season, I imagine it’ll be another frustrating year in Anaheim. Angels ownership has virtually ruined one of the best careers in baseball history, Mike Trout, and don’t seem to be too keen on taking advantage of his talent. Unless there is a change in ownership, I see another fourth-place finish in their future.
Seattle Mariners
The Skinny: The Mariners were the definition of the boys of summer last season. One of the most fun teams to watch in baseball, the Mariners got hot with the weather and went on a tear. In July and August, the Mariners went 38-15 and entered into September in a tie with the Astros for the lead in the AL West. Fueled by MLB phenom Julio Rodriguez, Cal Raleigh, and JP Crawford, as well as solid pitching up and down the rotation, the Mariners were the talk of the town.
Unfortunately for Seattle, as the weather cooled, so did the bats. Finishing September 11-17 and losing pivotal division games to the Astros and Rangers down the stretch led to a playoff miss after an extremely exciting season.
To respond to a missed postseason, the Mariners got busy. They signed former Texas Ranger catcher Mitch Garver, as well as brought back Mitch Haniger who spent last season with the Giants after an extended stint in Seattle. The Mariners then went out and traded for Jorge Polanco from the Minnesota Twins. Polanco, a versatile and consistent infielder, will provide depth for a relatively top-heavy Mariners lineup.
Their starting rotation shapes up to be one of the best in the big leagues, with Luis Castillo, George Kirby, and Logan Gilbert leading the way. Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo are two valuable arms at the back end of the rotation who can eat innings and keep them in ball games. Their bullpen is top-heavy, featuring three or four go-to guys. The Mariners will most likely aim to have their starters go deep into games this year, pending any mid-season or spring training acquisition.
The Bottom Line: This Mariners team projects to fall where they have the past few seasons, in the conversation. I’d expect somewhere in the high 80’s for win totals and peaking at potential low 90’s. They should be fighting for a wild card spot in September. With talent all over the roster and the additions of some valuable depth and utility players, the Mariners should expect another exciting season. Without injury, the Mariners should scratch and claw into the postseason.
Houston Astros
The Skinny: The Houston Astros once again will be a formidable foe this season. After winning their third division title in a row last year, they faced the Texas Rangers in a wire-to-wire battle in the ALCS. It is another deep playoff run for the Astros, which seems to be the case every year. Despite all of the success, it was not a typical year for the Astros, as a 90-win season was a bit of a drop-off.
Yordan Alvarez, Kyle Tucker, Jose Altuve, and Alex Bregman led the way and performed as you would expect. The supplemental production from Chas McCormick, Yainer Diaz, and Jeremy Pena provided enough hitting power for the Astros to make another run. Pitcher Framber Valdez had a phenomenal year, Christian Javier, Hunter Brown, and the trade deadline return of Justin Verlander were the keys to their pitching staff.
The Astros kept the band together this offseason and locked in Astro lifer Jose Altuve for another five years, likely finishing his career in Houston. The big acquisition came via late-innings reliever Josh Hader. One of the best in the business, Hader should provide the Astros with another guy who can close the door in the late innings. He’ll join the likes of Bryan Abreu and Ryan Pressly to round out the bullpen.
The Bottom Line: The Astros will once again be in the running to compete for a World Series. With a competitive division and some roster holes, specifically in the corner outfield and first base (who knows what Jose Abreu can bring to the table), the Astros look to fit into that low-90 win window again. While they still bolster top-end talent, the roster is aging, and quickly, this may hurt them in the dog days of the season and provide some streaky runs.
Texas Rangers
The Skinny: The World Series Champions are back, and they look pretty similar. The Rangers are a case of a team who got red hot and never looked back. After a long lull in the middle of the season left them with pretty poor odds of making the postseason, they responded in a big way.
The Rangers looked unreal early on in the season, and many questioned the longevity of their success. They were rock solid going into the All-Star break and then added All-Star Pitcher Max Scherzer at the deadline. They went up and down in August and fell out of first place late in the month. They made a run to get back into the division lead but fell to the Mariners 1-0 on the last day of the season and lost the division on a tie-breaker to the Astros.
The rest is history. World Series Champions.
The Rangers lost a lot this offseason, including pitchers Jordan Montgomery, Martin Perez, and Aroldis Chapman, and position players Mitch Garver, Robbie Grossman, and Will Smith. As far as additions are concerned, the list is much less impressive. They added pitchers Kirby Yates, Tyler Mahle, and David Robertson, as well as catcher Andrew Knizner.
The Bottom Line: I’m not so optimistic about the 2024 Rangers. The ability to stay healthy in the starting rotation is critical. Guys like Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, and Nathan Eovaldi have all struggled to stay healthy throughout their careers. The bullpen is average at best. But perhaps just like they did in 2023, the lineup could make up for it. Stars Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Adolis Garcia, and Jonah Heim combine to make up one of the most powerful lineups in baseball. As we saw in October, when those guys are hot, it’s hard to stop the momentum. The Rangers will compete in one of the better divisions in baseball once again, and it would surprise me if they were the runaway victors of the division. I’ll put them in the mid-80s for total wins, and they have the potential to end in the low-90’s if their starting rotation can remain healthy.
OVERALL FINAL STANDING PROJECTION:
Astros (102-60)
Mariners (99-63)
Rangers (98-64)
Angels (78-84)
Athletics (64-98)
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