AL West Preview

Now we move on to the American League, as we take a look at the AL West. The division is scaled back this year, with some teams rebuilding and some teams needing to fill holes. Here's a breakdown of the AL West.

• Top Dog: Houston Astros: Obviously. The Astros have another young arm set to hit the rotation this season in Forrest Whitley. They also have the same group consisting of Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa. With the AL West set to take a step back this season, the Astros could go on to win 100 games this season and challenge for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
• Mid-Tier Team(s): Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Angels: The Oakland Athletics made a surprising surge to the postseason last year. The emergence of Matt Olsen, Khris Davis, and Matt Chapman helped lead the A's to October baseball. However, it's a good possibility that Oakland won't make it back, especially without ace Sean Manaea, who's out for perhaps the entire season. The Angels have a good lineup on paper. But a rotation from scratch will have to carry the Angels to October this season. Injuries decimated the Angels last year, so they'll need to stay healthy if they want to contend. If they're out of the picture, they should consider trading Mike Trout.
  
• Rebuilding: Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers: The Mariners did a bit of scaling back this off-season, trading the likes of James Paxton, Robinson Cano, and Edwin Diaz. The purge is an attempt to get the roster younger and the payroll more flexible for the future. The Rangers are still rebuilding in their own right, taking flyers on fill-in pitchers before they get ready to contend in the future.