2018 AL West Division Rivals Preview

As we did last year, we’ll be previewing the Mariners’ AL West rivals ahead of the 2018 season. We’ll start each week with a review of the team’s 2017 performance, high and low points, key acquisitions and losses to free agency. Next, we’ll look at the proposed lineup and bench players and examine both their 2017 performances and 2018 projections. A review of the pitching staff, both starters and bullpen, will follow that, and we’ll close out the week looking at the overall state of the team headed into 2018, assessing the team’s strengths and weaknesses, with a glancing look at the farm system for each club.

We’ll be doing the teams in this order:

• Week of January 29: The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, California, USA, Earth
• Week of February 5: The Oakland Athletics
• Week of February 12: The Texas Rangers
• Week of February 19: The Houston Astros

(Yes, we know the teams are out of order in how they finished. At the time of planning, the Angels had made the most off-season moves, so we decided to start with them.)

Follow along to see which players will become your mortal enemies this year, and which Oakland A’s get shipped off at the trade deadline for young, controllable talent.