MLB Division preview: AL West

Likely Winner: Houston Astros

Despite taking a few steps back in recent seasons from the heights of their pair of World Series victories in 2017 and 2022, the Astros are still a powerhouse. This offseason, they lost star outfielder Kyle Tucker and their uber-talented third baseman Alex Bregman, as well as starters Justin Verlander and Yusei Kikuchi.

However, they’ve done a fine job of replacing some of that talent, bringing in third baseman Isaac Parades, first baseman Christian Walker, infielder Cam Smith and starter Hayden Wesneski.

There is still plenty of talent on the roster. Yordan Alvarez remains one of the most feared hitters in the game. Jose Altuve is playing left field this season, but can still be penciled in for 150+ hits.

Their starting rotation has plenty of firepower, albeit is a bit top-heavy. Their bullpen contains a gauntlet of high-leverage arms.

The Astros are one of the most consistently good teams in the Major Leagues, and seemingly always find a way into the playoffs. This year might look a little different in terms of roster construction, but the results should remain the same.

Close Second: Texas Rangers

For the Rangers, the biggest factor this season is going to be health across the roster. There is talent to go around in the locker room in Texas, but plenty of players have checkered injury histories.

Example 1-a is starter Jacob deGrom. deGrom is apparently healthy going into this season, but that’s a story as old as time. If he does manage a full season’s workload, he’s going to dominate, and this team can be scary. If not, there isn’t a ton of starting pitching depth on the roster.

Nathan Eovaldi can be very good, but he’s 35 years old. Much will be asked of the young starting pitching duo of Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter. Beyond those four pitchers is where the problems will arise.

The lineup should be the Rangers’ calling card. They brought in Jake Burger, Joc Pederson and Kyle Higashioka to slot into the already-strong group of Corey Seager, Jonah Heim, Marcus Semien, Josh Jung and Adolis Garcia. Wyatt Langford is also poised to build on last year’s second-half breakout.

If the lineup is firing on all cylinders, this team has the potential to be scary. Still, I would be hesitant to buy into a pitching staff that is lacking in depth and a bullpen that was rebuilt almost in its entirety over the offseason.

Mired in Mediocrity: Seattle Mariners

A few years ago, Mariners President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto commented that the team’s goal for the future was to win 54% of their games over a 10-year period.

While his words make sense on a spreadsheet, they infuriated Mariners fans. Their preconceived notions that the front office was content with remaining mediocre had been confirmed by the man who was running the team.

Since then, they’ve basically done exactly what Dipoto had called for. They’ve won just a tick over 54% of their games from 2021 through 2024. If their sights are set so low, what would make anyone think that they’d challenge for first place in the division?

Basically, the best outcome for this team would be a Wild Card berth. At worst, they once again fail to score enough runs and miss the playoffs entirely.

Despite a starting pitching staff that is widely regarded as being top-three in the Major Leagues, they’ve failed to complement their pitching with a strong lineup.

Their offseason was notably quiet, and much of the weight will once again fall on the shoulders of Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh (whom they locked up today with a 6-year contract extension).

It’s certainly possible that this team will make the playoffs solely based on their elite starting pitching, but it would likely come down to how well the other teams in the division perform rather than what the Mariners do.

Could Surprise: Athletics

The Athletics had a strange offseason. Facing a potential grievance from the Players Association due to their lack of spending, they went out and signed multiple big-name players.

Primarily, starter Luis Severino was signed to the largest deal in franchise history. They followed that up by trading for lefty Jeffrey Springs and inking reliever Jose Leclerc to a one-year contract.

They also tendered contract extensions to designated hitter Brent Rooker and young stud outfielder Lawrence Butler.

These transactions kept them out of hot water with the Players Association while simultaneously making this team borderline competitive.

They have a lot of young talent in this lineup with players who took significant strides forward last season and can continue to build on that success this year.

While their starting pitching depth may be quite limited, any bullpen with Mason Miller headlining it has immense potential.

This nameless team has many of the pieces in place already to surprise fans in 2025.

Trade Deadline Gurus: Los Angeles Angels

Opposite to their National League counterparts, the Angels will likely go nowhere in 2025. They definitely have some exciting talent, but that could be said of any Angels squad since Mike Trout made his Major League debut way back in 2011.

Since then, they’ve made the playoffs just one time, all the way back in 2014. They lost in the first round that year. This comes despite Trout and Shohei Ohtani sharing the field from 2018 to 2023.

This offseason, they were among the most active teams in terms of free agent signings in the first few months.

They brought in lefty starter Yusei Kikuchi, who will be starting on Opening Day for them, catcher Travis d’Arnaud, reliever Kenley Jansen, third baseman Yoán Moncada, shortstop Kevin Newman and starter Kyle Hendricks. Via trade, they acquired outfielder Jorge Soler.

I don’t see the overwhelming majority of this group still donning an Angels jersey at the end of the year. They likely signed most of these players with the hope that they will play well enough to earn them a decent prospect haul at the trade deadline.

If they do retain all of their players for the entire season, the team is not awful on paper.

Yet, barring some sort of miracle scenario in which everything breaks right for the team, it should be déjà vu for the Angels in 2025.

Dominick Pizzelanti is a second-year student dual-majoring in broadcast journalism and Spanish. To contact him, email dqp5565@psu.edu.