2022 AL West Preview: Time for a new contender?

At this time just over a month ago, it didn’t look like we were going to make it to an early April start to the season. Fresh off the latest round of failed collective bargaining agreement negotiations, commissioner Rob Manfred announced MLB was cancelling the first two series of the season and pushing back Opening Day a week.

The more days that went by without the league and MLB Players Association reaching a deal, the more games that would be cancelled. Over the course of a few long days, it looked like no longer like a question of when we would get baseball in 2022, but if.

Then, somehow, someway, on the 99th day of the lockout, they figured things out. The season – all 162 games no less – was saved. And we couldn’t be happier.

With Opening Day two days away, here is a team-by-team look at the American League West division that is going to look dramatically different this season. The Houston Astros and Oakland A's have won the last five AL West titles, but is it time for a new contender to finally break through?

Houston Astros

2021 Record: 95-67

Key Additions: INF Niko Goodrum, OF Lewis Brinson, P Hector Neris

Key Losses: SS Carlos Correa, INF/OF Marwin Gonzalez, P Zack Greinke, P Yimi Garcia, P Kendall Graveman

The Astros were supposed to take a step back post sign-stealing scandal. And it looked like they were going to during the 2020 season, but after sneaking into the playoffs under the expanded format, Houston rallied for decisive series victories over the Minnesota Twins and Oakland Athletics before coming up one game short against the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALCS.

The season after, they won 95 games for their fourth division title in five years, advancing all the way to the World Series before falling to the Dodgers. Like it or not, the Astros have been as good as anyone in the league this past half decade. Despite the loss of Carlos Correa, it wouldn’t be a shock if they were right back in the thick of things once again.

The case for: The Astros led baseball least year in both offensive fWAR (33.9) and wRC+ (116) while also finishing top-five in slugging, batting average and on-base percentage. They can flat out hit by whatever metric you’re going by.

The case against: Two seasons in a row the Houston Astros have let a franchise icon they drafted and developed walk as a free agent without much of a push to retain them. At least publicly, anyway. Two winters ago it was George Springer. Now it’s Correa who’s off to greener pastures. At some point you have to decide to keep your best players.

Los Angeles Angels

2021 Record: 77-85

Key Additions: INF Matt Duffy, P Noah Syndergaard P Ryan Tepera, P Archie Bradley, P Michael Lorenzen, P Aaron Loup

Key Losses: OF Juan Lagares, OF Dexter Fowler, P Dylan Bundy, P Alex Cobb, P Steve Cishek, P Packy Naughton

Since Mike Trout came into the league in 2011, he has a Rookie of the Year Award, nine All-Star appearances, three MVPs, eight Silver Sluggers and an RBI title. And the Angels have basically nothing to show for it.

They’ve got one playoff appearance – an ALDS sweep at the hands of the Kansas City Royals – and eight of those 11 seasons have been under .500. While Trout did miss most of last year with a calf injury, Shohei Ohtani turned in one of the more memorable individual seasons and was the unanimous AL MVP winner. Still, the Angels sputtered, finishing second-last for the fourth year in a row.

Surely, one of these years all that talent is going to result in some more wins. Could this finally be the year they win their first playoff game since 2009?

The case for: The Angels were seventh-worst in bullpen ERA last season but added a few key pieces. Both Archie Bradley and Ryan Tepera were solid last season and should fit well in front of Raisel Iglesias, who was one of the bright spots for the club in 2021, leading the league with 59 games finished and converting on 34 of 39 save attempts. We know all about the star talent on this team, it’s the other parts of the roster that have always been the question.

The case against: Starting pitching has been a big problem for the Angels in years past and the addition of Noah Syndergaard should help. While capable of great things, he’s appeared in just two games since 2019 and hasn’t hit the 200-inning mark yet in his career. It’s even a little hard to count on Ohtani for too much on the mound considering some of the injuries he’s dealt with since coming into MLB in 2018. If either of those two go down, or both, there isn’t a lot else in the Angels rotation for Joe Maddon to count on.

Oakland Athletics

2021 Record: 86-76

Key Additions: C Stephen Vogt, INF Kevin Smith, OF Cristian Pache, P Brent Honeywell

Key Losses: C Yan Gomes, 1B Matt Olson, 1B Mitch Moreland, 2B Josh Harrison, 3B Matt Chapman, OF Mark Canha, OF Starling Marte, OF Khris Davis, P Sean Manaea, P Sergio Romo, P Yusmeiro Petit, P Andrew Chafin, P Chris Bassitt

The better question with the 2022 Athletics is who they kept from last season rather than who they lost. Because no team had more departures of key players during the winter than the A’s. Oakland has had winning records in each of the past four seasons but doesn’t have a playoff series victory to show for it. Never a stranger to a fire sale, the A’s decided it was time to start over.

Billy Beane’s search for a winner continues, and it looks like he’s as far away from one as ever.

The case for: Well, at least Frankie Montas is still around! For now, anyway. He's coming off arguably his best season in the majors and should command a significant return in a potential deal.

The case against: MLB.com has the A’s ranked as the 22nd best farm system before trading Sean Manaea over the weekend, so it doesn’t exactly look like this rebuild will be especially quick. Not to mention fan attendance was second-worst in 2021 and the team’s future playing in the Bay Area continues to look murky. There’s a lot of work to do in Oakland.

Seattle Mariners

2021 Record: 90-72

Key Additions: 2B/OF Adam Frazier, 3B Eugenio Suarez, OF Jesse Winker, P Robbie Ray, P Sergio Romo

Key Losses: 3B Kyle Seager, P Yusei Kikuchi, P James Paxton, P Tyler Anderson, P Hector Santiago, P Joe Smith, P Sean Doolittle

The Mariners won 90 games a season ago and stayed in the thick of the playoff race until the final weekend of the season. Still, they own the longest postseason drought in the majors at 20 years. That’s no good any way you rationalize it. But it’s not for a lack of inaction.

According to Cespedes Family BBQ on Twitter, general manager Jerry Dipoto’s recent deal with the Cincinnati Reds that saw the M’s land outfielder Jesse Winker and third baseman Eugenio Suarez was the 121st trade Dipoto has made since becoming Mariners GM in September of 2015. Cespedes Family BBQ points out that it was the first trade he’s made with the Reds, meaning he’s traded with all but three teams – the Detroit Tigers, Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Angels.

The case for: The Mariners were one of the off-season winners. Via a mix of trades and free agency, they brought in four players with All-Star potential, headlined by a five-year deal with AL Cy Young winner Robbie Ray. Winker has also gotten better in each of his five big league seasons and could be the perfect left-handed bat to replace the retired Kyle Seager. And hey, Julio Rodriguez on Opening Day should be fun.

The case against: The reigning Cy Young winner is always a nice way to start a rotation, but what follows is a bit of a question mark. Chris Flexen came out of nowhere with 14 victories and a 3.61 ERA in 31 starts last season but doesn’t strike out many hitters. Nor does Marco Gonzales, whose 3.96 ERA dramatically outperformed his 5.28 FIP, indicating possible regression over an additional season sample.

Texas Rangers

2021 Record: 60-102

Key Additions: C Mitch Garver, 2B Marcus Semien, SS Corey Seager, INF Brad Miller, 3B/1B Matt Carpenter, OF Kole Calhoun, OF Jake Marisnick, P Jon Gray, P Martin Perez, P Garrett Richards, P Brandon Workman

Key Losses: INF Isiah Kiner-Falefa, INF/OF Brock Holt

Who spent the most free agent money during the off-season? The Los Angeles Dodgers? The New York Mets? No, it was the Rangers, by more than $300 million no less. When the dust settled, the Rangers had dished out well over half a billion dollars in free agent money. Talk about things being bigger in Texas.

The Rangers gave Marcus Semien seven years and $175 million and Jon Gray four years and $56 million on the same day. Less than 24 hours later, they handed Corey Seager $325 million for 10 years. The Rangers are much better than last year’s 60-win team. But are they significantly better?

The case for: Texas scored the fewest runs in the AL last season and the third fewest in all of baseball. Semien and Seager will instantly boost that lineup and so will catcher Mitch Garver, who was acquired from the Minnesota Twins and is only two seasons removed from hitting 31 homers. There’s nowhere to go but up for this lineup and for half a billion, the production better go way up.

The case against: Gray had an up-and-down seven seasons with the Rockies and should relish getting away from Coors Field. But is he an ace? Probably not on most teams, let alone one looking to contend. Both well under 30, Dane Dunning and Taylor Hearn showed flashes last season and will need to continue their development for this rotation to avoid being a liability.