Baseball 2025 (AL West)

The Astros won yet another AL West title last season.  Not so much because they were the best team.  But more because the others were just worse.  The Rangers had all kinds of injury issues (especially in the rotation) after winning the World Series in 2023.  The Mariners are still looking to return to their playoff form from 2022.  The Angels were adjusting to life without Ohtani.  And the A's were playing a lame-duck season in Oakland with players who cared about as much as the fans did.

This season figures to be a little better for the division.  Texas should bounce back and is probably the division favorite should that happen.  Houston knows that the window is closing, too.  The Astros will have a very different look this season because of it.  And don't count out Seattle putting it together and making a playoff run like they did a few years ago.

Things in California may not be much better, though.  The Angels have been a mess for a while.  They need Mike Trout to actually stay healthy if they have any chance of being relevant.  I'd actually rather be the Athletics than the Angels right now.  Sure, they're vagabonds playing in a Minor League park in Sacramento, but their owner (who clearly just didn't want to be in Oakland) is actually investing in the team in an obvious attempt to make them relevant/competitive once they move to Las Vegas.

Still, though, it wouldn't be a total shock to see two playoff teams come out of the AL West.  Especially if the two Texas teams spend the whole season jockeying for first place.  The Mariners making it three is harder to see.  But they'll be that annoying team that hangs around all season and ends up falling a few games short of getting in.

1. Texas Rangers: After the high of winning the World Series in 2023, the Rangers didn't even make the playoffs last season.  Which really was the result of the injuries that decimated their pitching staff more than anything else.  Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer both missed a massive amount of time, and they simply didn't have the pitching depth to make up for those losses.  It's not like that's no longer a concern, either.  Scherzer's in Toronto now, but how much can they really rely on deGrom?  He's 36 years old and has made a grand total of nine starts in his two years with Texas.  If he's actually still pitching in August, though, that's a huge bonus for the Rangers.

They've got a much deeper lineup this season, too.  First, they swung a trade with the Marlins to get Jake Burger as their new first baseman.  Then they signed Joc Pederson to DH.  That offense will carry Texas.  The pitching just needs to be good enough.  The big area of concern is the bullpen.  But you've gotta figure that will be addressed during the season.  Provided everyone stays healthy, we're looking at one of the best teams in the American League.  They're far and away the best team in the AL West.  Expect the Rangers to finally end Houston's run of division titles.
Projected Lineup: Marcus Semien-2B, Corey Seager-SS, Adolis Garcia-RF, Jake Burger-1B, Evan Carter-LF, Josh Jung-3B, Jonah Heim-C, Joc Pederson-DH, Leody Taveras-CF
Projected Rotation: Nathan Eovaldi, Jacob deGrom, Tyler Mahle, Kumar Rocker, Patrick Corbin
Closer: Jacob Webb
Projected Record: 91-71

2. Houston Astros: Moving Jose Altuve to left field was such a strange move.  I really just don't get it!  And they did it so late in Spring Training, too.  It would've been one thing had they gone in with that as the plan as soon as Tucker was traded, but, even with Bregman gone, they're still committed to it.  They obviously know what the master plan here is better than I do, but that doesn't make it any less confusing.  Especially when they traded their best player and let their second-best player walk as a free agent (after making a customary attempt to keep him).

Still, there's no reason to think there isn't at least one more year in this window of contention for Houston.  Their ALCS streak ended last year, but, even without Tucker and Bregman, the Astros didn't just slip quietly into the night.  They added Christian Walker, who's a perfect fit for that lineup, and Isaac Paredes, who was playing third base even if Bregman re-signed (the Altuve thing would make a lot more sense if Bregman had moved to second).  And they have 85 starting pitchers, so the chances of five of them being healthy at any one point are pretty good.  Then, at the end of games, Josh Hader is one of the best closers in the business.  So, even though the window is closing, it's not closed yet.
Projected Lineup: Jose Altuve-LF, Jeremy Pena-SS, Yordan Alvarez-DH, Christian Walker-1B, Isaac Paredes-3B, Yainer Diaz-C, Chas McCormick-RF, Jake Meyers-CF, Mauricio Dubon-2B
Projected Rotation: Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown, Spencer Arrighetti, Ronel Blanco, Luis Garcia
Closer: Josh Hader
Projected Record: 89-73

3. Seattle Mariners: Seattle SHOULD be good!  I feel like people say that about the Mariners every year.  Yet, every year, it's pretty much the same situation where they're right around .500 and in the playoff mix before ultimately falling short.  I wouldn't be surprised if that's exactly what happens once again.  On paper, they're the third best team in the division.  They aren't as good as either Texas team, but they're better than both California teams.  The question is whether they'll win enough games to grab the third wild card.  Which, if everything goes right, they can.

It all starts with the pitching staff.  Logan Gilbert and Luis Castillo are excellent at the front of the rotation.  Do they have enough depth behind them, though?  And they need somebody other than Julio Rodriguez to hit.  If they get that production from the lineup, they'll be in good shape.  If they don't, that's a huge burden to put on the pitchers.  And, ultimately, I'm just not sure they'll get the combination.  They'll either hit and get no pitching or pitch well and get no hitting.  Which will be just enough to finish where they usually do.  Around .500.
Projected Lineup: J.P. Crawford-SS, Randy Arozarena-LF, Julio Rodriguez-CF, Mitch Garver-DH, Luke Raley-1B, Jorge Polanco-3B, Cal Raleigh-C, Dylan Moore-2B, Victor Robles-RF
Projected Rotation: Logan Gilbert, Luis Castillo, Bryce Miller, Bryan Woo, George Kirby
Closer: Andres Munoz
Projected Record: 83-79

4. Athletics: As soon as they got out of Oakland, they started spending.  First, it was signing Luis Severino to the biggest free agent contract in team history, then it was locking up Brent Rooker on a long-term deal that will take them into the Las Vegas Era.  That's three years away, though.  They're currently in the Sacramento Era while officially not calling anywhere home (even though they have a Las Vegas patch on their sleeves).  Ultimately, that's the most fascinating thing about this team heading into this season.  Talent-wise, they're significantly better.  But how much of an impact will the Sacramento Summer heat and playing in a Minor League ballpark have?

Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if they get off to a hot start.  It's been a very fraught situation for this franchise over the past few years, so having some certainty and knowing the current situation is only temporary have to bring a huge sense of relief.  I'm just worried that the conditions will wear on them over the course of the season, though.  They're in much better shape than they were last season, but I think the goal for the next few years is to be competitive enough to generate enough excitement for Las Vegas.  Although, playing in front of 9,000 fans in Sacramento will feel much different than playing in front of 9,000 fans in Oakland.  In Oakland, the stadium was crap and it was always empty.  In Sacramento, that'll be a sellout.  That will almost certainly help, too.
Projected Lineup: Lawrence Butler-RF, JJ Bleday-CF, Brent Rooker-DH, Shea Langeliers-C, Zack Gelof-2B, Miguel Andujar-LF, Tyler Soderstrom-1B, Gio Urshela-3B, Jacob Wilson-SS
Projected Rotation: Luis Severino, JP Sears, Jeffrey Springs, Osvaldo Bido, Joey Estes
Closer: Mason Miller
Projected Record: 71-91

5. Los Angeles Angels: Anthony Rendon's contract will go down as perhaps the worst free agent signing in Major League history.  And this is the same team that was so desperate to get out of the 10-year contract they gave Albert Pujols, they just cut a first-ballot Hall of Famer at the end.  Rendon will start the season on his second home, the 60-day injured list, but even if he wasn't, he doesn't even figure into the Angels' plans.  They brought in Yoan Moncada as their new third baseman, and he would've been the starter over Rendon regardless.

Their other big name who's spent an inordinate amount of time on the IL, of course, is Mike Trout.  Trout loves playing center field, but this season, they're moving him to right, hoping that'll help keep him healthy.  It's worth a shot.  Because if the Angels are gonna have any chance this season, they obviously need to have Trout in the lineup.  Even then, it'll be a long season in Orange County (especially since the Dodgers are the Dodgers).  I'd say "at least they're not the White Sox," but I actually think they'll give the White Sox a run for their money as the worst team in Baseball.
Projected Lineup: Zach Neto-SS, Mike Trout-RF, Taylor Ward-LF, Jorge Soler-DH, Yoan Moncada-3B, Logan O'Hoppe-C, Nolan Schaunel-1B, Luis Rengifo-2B, Jo Adell-CF
Projected Rotation: Yusei Kikuchi, Tyler Anderson, Jose Soriano, Kyle Hendricks, Reid Detmers
Closer: Kenley Jansen
Projected Record: 54-108