Offseason State of the AL West
Periodically, it may be useful to check and see where the other four teams are in their offseason efforts.
We know the Seattle Mariners are going to be active in an effort to improve upon a second straight 90-win season that ended their two-decade postseason absence. They’ve already made one significant move in adding outfielder Teoscar Hernandez.
But the other four clubs in the American League West have winter wish lists, too. Let’s check in as the Hot Stove starts to warm up around baseball.
Oakland Athletics
The M.O. of the A’s right now is very Rachel Phelps; let’s see how bad and boring we can become to further our case for moving the team out of Oakland. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be interesting transactions coming out of the East Bay.
The A’s could move 28-year-old Sean Murphy, one of the better catchers in the league, to maximie the return after another strong season. Murphy smacked a career high 18 homers and posted a 122 wRC+ to pair with his plus defense. He’s a significant asset for the A’s, but a team closer to contention would certainly value him more.
The Cubs, Cardinals, Guardians, Red Sox, and Giants may be at the top of that list. The Athletics have Shea Langeliers and Tyler Soderstrom ready to burst onto the scene, and the sooner they move Murphy the bigger the return, so it’d be a surprise if they don’t make a move this winter.
Oakland could also look to move lefty reliever A.J. Puk after he posted a big season out of the bullpen, and vetera outfielder Ramon Laureano appears as likely to be traded as any player in baseball.
The club’s moves the past year or so reflect rebuilding efforts, but what they did not do was trade proven major leaguers for merely a group of long-term prospects. Langeliers, right-hander Ryan Cuscik, and outfielder Cristian Pache came over from Atlanta in the Matt Olson trade, right-hander J.T. Ginn was the prize in exchange for righty Chris Bassitt, lefty Sean Manaea netted the A’s a pair of MLB-ready arms, Matt Chapman brought back controllable playersKevin Smith and Kirby Snead, and the headliber from the Yankees in the Frankie Montas trade is left-handed starter Ken Waldichuk, who debuted with promise in September.
Murphy, however, should be next. Thus far, the A’s haven’t done anything of note in terms of player movement.
Texas Rangers
The Rangers made two splashes last offseason with Marcus Semien and Corey Seager, and already have brought back lefty Martin Perez and trade for right-handed veteran Jake Odorizzi.
Chris Young’s club remains in need of an impact starting pitcher and a couple of solid bullpen arms, plus a proven outfield bat to complement Adolis Garcia and support the growth of Leody Taveras and Bubba Thompson.
The Rangers infield is as good as it gets, including at catcher where Jonah Heim is a force. At third base the Rangers hope prospect Josh Jung is the everyday answer in 2023.
Expect Texas to spend money on pitching and outfielders, and the names already linked to them include Jacob deGrom, Carlos Rodon, Manaea, Bassitt, Kyle Gibson, Taijuan Walker, Nathan Eovaldi, and Jameson Taillon.
Los Angeles Angels
The Angels need pitching and healthy players, and have already added lefty Tyler Anderson on a three-year deal. They now have four solid, mid-rotation type southpaws behind Shohei Ohtani in a rotation that wasn’t bad this past season.
The Halos need more impact if they are to make the playoffs, but they’re in a good spot this early in the offseason. They still need bullpen help, too, however, and something they can’t buy on the open market is assurances their stars will stay healthy.
Mike Trout has managed just 155 games combined the last two seasons, and missed more than half of the shortend 2020 campaign. Anthony Rendon, their $245 million man they still owe $175 million, has played just 157 games since signing his seven-year contract prior to the 2020 season.
I expect the Angels to be a player for the four free agent shortstops, and any other plus shortstops available this winter (Tim Anderson? Willy Adames?).
The club made a deal I liked last summer when they sent Brandon Marsh to the Phillies for Logan O’Hoppe. O’Hoppe has a good chance to be their No. 1 backstop in 2023.
I do wonder if the ownership situation — Arte Moreno has made it known he’s looking to cash out — slows down their aggression in free agency, at least in terms of elite deals. But they also need an impact reliever or two after trading away Raisel Iglesias last July. Yeah, this team needs a lot of help and a lot of health, but once again may be a dark horse contender if the health luck monsters stop attacking them.
Houston Astros
Houston’s No. 1 goal has to be Justin Verlander, but he has other suitors, namely the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets. If the bidding gets to Max Scherzer levels, I’d be willing to bet Jim Crane passes, which would suggest the Astros might jump into the fray for the likes of Taillon and Eovaldi, two power arms from the state of Texas who arent likely to require huge AAVs or especially long-term deals.
Houston, however, should also be hot for Willson Contreras, or at least a reunion with Christian Vazquez to avoid another offensive black hole at catcher. They’ve already shown interest in Jose Abreu and Josh Bell to take over for Yuli Gurriel, and I’d keep an eye on Phillies sligger Rhys Hoskins for the role, as well.
Houston may prefr a lefty bat, suggesting Bell, but they can always add that in the outfield where they have an opening with Michael Brantley hitting free agency and Yordan Alvarez better suited for DH duty.
I do wonder if the Astros get bold and shop Alex Bregman, who is due $30.5 million each of the next two years but had a bounceback 2022 season, in order to make spending a little morepalatable. They have over $130 million committed to seven players, with several key arbitration cases looming.
The Astros brougt back Rafael Montero on a three-year deal, and will have right-hander Hunter Brown all year in 2023, so they still have pitching, but if Verlander leaves it will hurt and change the club’s dynamic enough to wonder if they pivot to more offense.
Another area the Astros might seek a better bat is center field where Chas McCormick may fit better as a super utility outfielder who faces mostly left-handed pitching.
Do the Astros have enough to snag Bryan Reynolds from the Pirates?
Also, look out for Cody Belling here. If the Dodgers non-tender him (possible but unlikely) or make him trade-available, he fits in Houston.
Belling, btw, also fits in Seattle, among other places, but he’s a one-year upside play at $18 million (ish), and the Mariners already have added a one-year fix in Hernandez. If he gets non-tendered, it could change things.
Seattle Mariners
Seattle has been busy, acquiring Teoscar Hernandez and trading away Erik Swanson and Kyle Lewis in the first week-plus of the open market, but they are’t done, clearly, and have been linked to outfielders Brandon Nimmo, Masataka Yoshida, second baseman Kolten Wong, and right-hander Koudai Senga.
The club has also been linked to the four big-name free-agent shortstops, but it’s my opinion all four will ultimately receive contracts the Mariners will choose to avoid. But I do expect them to add significantly to their roster on top of the Hernandez move, including to a bullpen now down a significant arm or two.
If the club believes its best-case scenario at second base is Wong, or someone of that ilk, they’re more likely to go big with a second outfield addition. Nimmo? Ian Happ? Reynolds?
The American League West has four potential solid or better teams, but for now the Astros remain the clear heavy favorites, with the Mariners in the best position to make a move. The Angels and Rangers both, however, have plenty of impact talent and simply need to fill some pitching gaps and stay healthy to make a run, and they both may be willing to spend to do it.
Stay tuned, we’ll update these team themes as they change over the winter.