The AL West has undergone many changes in recent history. From 1998-2012, it was the only MLB division with four teams. That changed when the Astros hopped over from the NL Central.
Speaking of which, Houston has undergone a more prominent transformation than just about any other team in the majors, which reflects the club’s end result from last year. Their division foes also underwent a myriad of overhauls as well, which invited a tightly-contested race to first place, as projected by PECOTA.
One team is transitioning from an American League dynasty to a retooling phase. Another went from winning its first World Series to playing golf last October. Two teams don’t really know what they’re doing, and a fifth squad is trying to return to relevancy after showing brief flashes just a couple of years ago.
The AL West, along with the rest of MLB, will be covered by the fine folks at Stadium Rant all season long. Here’s what 2025 brings to the Junior Circuit’s western frontier.
Arte Moreno, owner of the Angels, has never had a problem with investing in his team. In fact, during Moreno’s 22 seasons of Halos stewardship, the Angels have ranked in the top ten in payroll 18 times. The only issue is that the team has failed to appear in the postseason since 2014, which is also their most recent AL West title. They haven’t even won a single October contest since 2009, to boot.
The Angels have spent nearly $96 million in free agency, per Spotrac. That’s the ninth-most among all MLB clubs. History seems to be repeating itself yet again, though, because none of those funds have been allocated towards meaningful gains.
Most notably, Japanese southpaw Yusei Kikuchi was inked to a three-year, $63 million deal. It’s the most lucrative pact the team has handed out in general manager Perry Minasian’s tenure. The appropriately-nicknamed “U Say” has underwhelming career numbers, but the starting pitching market was benevolent to him.
A few short-term deals were given to Kenley Jansen, Travis d’Arnaud, Kyle Hendricks, and Kevin Newman. The team will improve marginally, but these transactions hardly put the A-Team in the driver’s seat.
Aside from Mike Trout – more on him momentarily – the only other impactful bats in the lineup are the aforementioned Soler, in conjunction with Luis Rengifo and Taylor Ward. Anthony Rendon, perhaps the worst free agent signee ever, is likely to miss all of 2025.
Perhaps the most reassuring news entering spring training for this team is the fact that Trout is moving to right field, an effort to keep him durable. The future Hall of Famer has played in just 266 games since 2021. Trout and his teammates are hoping to avoid the AL West basement, with a 75 to 79-win campaign on the horizon.
For the first time since 2016, Houston failed to advance to the ALCS. They did a ton of offloading, and are embracing a retooling period.
In one of the biggest trades in team history, superstar right fielder Kyle Tucker was sent packing to the Cubs. In return, the Astros received Isaac Paredes, Hayden Wesneski, and No. 59 overall prospect Cam Smith. Also sent to the North Side of Chicago was All-Star closer Ryan Pressly.
A pair of big names departed Minute Maid Park via free agency, too. Justin Verlander went to San Francisco, and Alex Bregman signed with the Red Sox.
There are some other new faces, though. Former Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker agreed to a three-year contract with Houston, and Ben Gamel is back on a one-year pact.
While it was a boisterous winter for the Astros, they still possess a lethal rotation, headed by Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez. Christian Walker isn’t any younger, but he’s still one of the best first-basemen in the league. Altuve is Altuve, and Jeremy Pena put up 4.1 bWAR last year. Yordan Alvarez missed a lot of games last year, but his bat is as dynamic as any.
The outfield of Marcio Dubon, Jake Meyers, and Chas McCormick leaves a lot to be desired. In the grand scheme of things, though, the Astros are still well-equipped to win the AL West for the eighth time in the last nine seasons. It won’t be easy, however, and this is the weakest Houston squad in a decade. 85-88 wins seem fitting for them.
Don’t be fooled by the header. While the A’s did dole out $80.95 million during free agency, their maneuvers were merely a formality.
The Major League Baseball Player’s Association – MLBPA or player’s union, for short – has the A’s in its crosshairs, due to the parsimonious habits of owner John Fisher. To avoid a grievance, the Athletics must have a payroll at or above $105 million, for reasons listed in Sport Business Journal.
Nonetheless, the team gave a franchise-record contract to Luis Severino, and added Gio Urshela and Luis Urias on one-year agreements.
After departing Oakland on acrimonious terms, The Green and Gold will be playing their home games at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento while they try to relocate to Las Vegas.
Outside of designated hitter Brent Rooker, the A’s have no substantial talent on their roster, and their 2025 season will be as empty as their home crowds, unless if No. 31 and 38 overall prospects Jacob Wilson and Nick Kurtz are called up. 65-75 wins is this team’s ceiling.
After ending the longest active playoff drought in North American professional sports in 2022, Seattle narrowly missed the postseason in 2023 and 2024. They have a prime opportunity to reclaim the AL West for the first time since 2001.
A quiet off-season is not generally conducive to winning, but the Mariners benefit from a weak division, especially with the Astros downsizing.
Donovan Solano and Jorge Polanco are the only free agent signings the team made, but that’s because the roster was already mostly constructed, especially with their hurlers. The rotation is a four-headed monster, comprised of Logan Gilbert, Luis Castillo, George Kirby, and Bryce Miller.
Gilbert, Kirby, and Castillo have all gotten Cy Young votes in the past two seasons. Combined with Miller, they had the lowest ERA of any rotation last year.
Julio Rodriguez had an underwhelming 2024, and the lineup will go as far as he goes. With arguably the best collection of starting pitchers in The Show, the Mariners have a real chance to win the division. 85-88 wins is feasible.
After more than six decades of perennial underachievement, the Rangers finally won their first World Series in 2023. They fell back down to Earth last year, though. An anemic lineup and a Josh Jung injury were the reasons for that.
To bolster their lineup, the Rangers signed Joc Pederson, who posted a career-best .908 OPS in 132 games last year. They made a few other moves, too – the most notable one being bringing back Nathan Eovaldi.
Jacob deGrom cannot be expected to stay on the field, so Eovaldi and Jon Gray will anchor the rotation. A resurgent season for Marcus Semien and Jonah Heim can make the lineup dynamic again. 18-year-old No. 17 overall prospect Sebastian Walcott will be fun to watch in a few years.
The Rangers can contend for their first AL West crown since 2016, with 85-90 wins seeming likely. This is the end of my AL West rant.
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