HOW THE A’S STACK UP AGAINST THE REST OF THE AL WEST
(In projected order of finish) HOUSTON ASTROS
Key additions: RHP Jake Odorizzi Key losses: OF George Springer, RHP Justin Verlander (IL)
Our breakdown: The Houston Astros are getting win projection love on the basic terms of returning most of their star position players and bolstering their bleeding pitching staff with a high-caliber right-handed starter in Jake Odorizzi to go along with Zack Greinke, Lance McCullers Jr., José Urquidy, Framber Valdez and Christian Javier.
They lost key players, though. Powerful leadoff hitter George Springer signed a six-year, $150 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. They’ll also be without Cy Young winner Justin Verlander for most of the season, at least, after the 38-year-old underwent Tommy John surgery this October.
Even without those two, any roster that holds José Altuve, Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman and Michael Brantley is a dangerous one. The A’s will face the Astros seven times within the first two weeks of the season — we’ll have to see which team drew the short straw on this gauntlet as it happens. With skipper Dusty Baker, the Astros are poised to be the A’s strongest competitors for the division crown in a full 162-game season.
LOS ANGELES ANGELS
Key additions: SP Jose Quintana, SP Alex Cobb, OF Dexter Fowler, C Kurt Suzuki, RP Alexander Claudio, RP Steve Cishek, RP Tony Watson
Key losses: SS Andrelton Simmons, SP Julio Teheran, RP Matt Andriese, RP Hansel Robles, RP Keynan Middleton. Our breakdown: The Angels have one of the strongest rosters in baseball. Surrounding three-time AL MVP Mike Trout are big names such as Anthony Rendon and Shohei Ohtani. They also have budding players David Fletcher and Jose Iglesias along with Albert Pujols, and new addition Dexter Fowler. To put it mildly, manager Joe Maddon can throw together any lineup that will give opposing pitchers a huge headache. The optimistic PECOTA prognostication is likely a result of the exceptional wins above replacement numbers Trout, Rendon and others put up year over year.
But the Angels’ issue was never their offense. The biggest questions again facing the Angels are about the pitching staff’s ability to match the lineup’s output. The 2020 Angels finished ninth in baseball with 294 total runs scored, an 11th-ranked .329 weighted on-base percentage. Their pitching staff put together MLB’s sixth-worst ERA at 5.09. Can Jose Quintana and Alex Cobb, as well as late-spring reliever additions Tony Watson and Steve Cishek help the Angels make a substantial leap? They’ve not won the AL West since 2014, and an improved staff of arms will make the Angels a scarier competitor than in years past.
A’S
Key additions: SS Elvis Andrus, RP Trevor Rosenthal, DH Mitch Moreland, RP Sergio Romo, 2B Jed Lowrie, C Aramis Garcia
Key losses: SS Marcus Semien, RP Liam Hendriks, DH Khris Davis, OF Robbie Grossman, RP Joakim Soria
Our breakdown: The prognosticators never quite like the A’s. For a third year in a row, PECOTA has them finishing third in the division. And the A’s have beaten the odds the last two years, earning a division title in 2020 that PECOTA projected would go to the Astros.
To be honest, this 2021 team is looking to be stronger than the 2020 team. The A’s lost Joakim Soria and the best closer in baseball, Liam Hendriks, but raked in $13.5 million in the Elvis Andrus trade that allowed them to swing deals for Sergio Romo, Mitch Moreland, Trevor Rosenthal and bring back reliever Yusmeiro Petit.
Khris Davis was beloved in Oakland and in the A’s clubhouse, but sending him to Texas might unlock the DH spot and, thus, more mix-and-match lineups. The A’s core that returns is rock-solid, and young arms such as Jesús Luzardo and A.J. Puk could help this A’s team reach another level. If the talent can reach its potential, the A’s may not only top the projections, but shatter them with another division title. At this point, the A’s next challenge will be to make a deep postseason run, as they haven’t won an ALCS game since 1992.
SEATTLE MARINERS
Key additions: SP James Paxton, RP Ken Giles, RP Kenyan Middleton
Key losses: 2B Dee Gordon, RP Bryan Shaw
Our breakdown: The Mariners didn’t add too many pieces this offseason. They didn’t lose many, either. This is a young team that could pose a significant challenge for the A’s and threaten to disrupt the AL West.
The Mariners finished third in the division last year, finishing 27-33 in the 60-game season. With Rookie of the Year Kyle Lewis on hand, a core made up of Evan White, Dylan Moore, J.P Crawford and Shed Long headed by veteran Kyle Seager makes a tough lineup to get through. James Paxton adds experience to a sneaky talented pitching staff that includes Justus Sheffield, Marco Gonzalez and Yusei Kikuchi.
TEXAS RANGERS
Key additions: DH Khris Davis, OF David Dahl, SP Mike Foltynewicz
Key losses: SP Corey Kluber, OF Daniel Santana
Our breakdown: The Texas Rangers are projected to finish last in the West. That seems about right. Bad news for A’s fans that were excited to see Davis face his old team: The designated hitter is expected to start the season on the IL with a strained quadriceps injury. The Rangers have a lot of talent: Nick Solak, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Joey Gallo, Loedy Taveras, Eli White among the core. But they haven’t been to the postseason since 2016, and after a few seasons of slowly trading off talent, it’s clear this is a franchise in transition.