Blest in the West

Dave Paisley

Final stop in my pre-season tour is the American league West, home of my home town Seattle Mariners. That can be a problem when it comes to objectivity, but I'm sure my faithful readers will let me know when I've crossed the boundary into wishful thinking territory. The truth is, the AL West is a pretty good division right now. The Mariners took the Yankees to six games in the AL championship series last year, having whomped the Chicago White Sox in the Division series. The A's were clearly the class of the American league by the end of the season and merely succumbed to Yankee magic in the opening round. The Rangers had a woeful year last year by recent standards, but did manage to land the biggest free agent this century (so far, anyway...) The Angels, while being the weakest team on paper, managed to turn in a creditable overachieving performance to finish just over .500.

Now let's take a look at what changes they each made and how that bodes for this season. Taking them in reverse order of last year's finish, that means the Rangers are up first:

Texas Rangers	2000 record: 71-91
Traded For	Traded Away
2B Randy Velarde from Oakland	P's Aaron Harang and Ryan Cullen
P's Aaron Myette and Brian Schmack from White Sox	SS Royce Clayton
P's Kevin Mobley and Brandon Villafuerte from Detroit	LHP Matt Perisho
Signed	Lost
1B Andres Galarraga (signed as free agent)	OF Pedro Valdes (sold to Japan)
3B Ken Caminiti (signed as free agent)
OF Bo Porter (off waivers)
P Chris Haney (signed as free agent)
P Jeff Brantley (signed as free agent)
P Mark Petkovsek (signed as free agent)
Re-signed INF Frank Catalanotto to one-year contract
Re-signed INF Scott Sheldon to one-year contract
Re-signed LHP Justin Thompson to one-year contract
Re-signed OF Bo Porter to one-year contract
SS Alex Rodriguez (signed as free agent)

The Rangers were really quite busy in the off-season, trying to shore up an offense that had problems with injuries and ineffectiveness. Unfortunately, the Rangers almost exclusively went for aging power, signing Ken Caminiti to play at third and Andres Galarraga to split the first base and DH slots with Rafael Palmeiro. That essentially gives up on Mike Lamb and/or Tom Evans for another year at third and adds a high probability to pulled hamstrings in the clubhouse. The biggest move of all, though, was the opening of the checkbook to sign Scott Boras to play shortstop. Oh sure, Boras will probably arrange to have Alex Rodriguez play in his place, but getting Scott on board was crucial for Tom Hicks. Scott may even knock off a per cent or so from his next client to sign with Texas as a measure of "good faith."

However, just as Sherlock Holmes' curiosity was piqued by the dog that did not bark, mine is piqued by what the Rangers did not do. And that is shore up a woeful pitching staff. They're electing to go with a rotation of Helling, Rogers, Oliver, Glynn and Davis, and apparently happy with the choice. What's more, John Wetteland is gone and the closer's role will be assumed by Tim Crabtree, backed up by Jeff Zimmerman and much of the same motley crew that roamed the Rangers' pen last year. Bottom line: The Rangers will probably score more runs than any other team in the majors, but might just as easily give up that many, too. On the other hand, even the phenomenal offense has several major health risks and a couple of younger players coming off nasty injuries, so even the offense may not hold up over the course of the season. Bottom line? I see the Rangers maybe getting off to a fast start, but in the end being just over the .500 mark.

Next, here's the Anaheim Angels moves:

Anaheim Angels	2000 record: 82-80
Traded For	Traded Away
SS Wilmy Caceres from Cincinnati	P Seth Etherton
Signed	Lost
C Jorge Fabregas (signed as free agent)	P Scott Karl (refused assignment)
Re-signed SS Gary DiSarcina	P Jason Dickson (refused assignment)
Re-signed P Tim Belcher (subsequently retired)	P Bryan Ward (refused assignment)
Re-signed SS Benji Gil	OF Ron Gant (signed with Colorado)
P Pat Rapp (signed as free agent)	P Kent Mercker (signed with Red Sox)
P Ismael Valdes (signed as free agent)
DH/OF Jose Canseco (signed as free agent)
Re-signed OF Orlando Palmeiro to two-year contract
Re-signed INF Scott Spiezio to one-year contract
Re-signed P Shawn Wooten to one-year contract
Re-signed P Mike Holtz to one-year contract
Re-signed RHP Al Levine to one-year contract

The Angels did it last year with smoke and mirrors, and there's not a whole lot that will be different in the coming season. I expect them to drop back to last year's expectations a bit. Adding the enigmatic Ismael Valdes and the so-so Pat Rapp isn't a big step up, nor is signing Benji Gil to fill in for the offensively challenged Gary DiSarcina. Jose Canseco promises to add a little pop, but also promises to be on the DL quicker than anyone but Ken Caminiti and Mo Vaughn. But there are some bright spots -- Ramon Ortiz, Darin Erstad, Troy Glaus, Tim Salmon. I see somewhere in the mid-seventies for the Haloes.

Moving on, it's time to look at Seattle.

Seattle Mariners	2000 record: 91-71
Signed	Lost
2B Bret Boone (signed as free agent)	C Joe Oliver (signed with Yankees)
2B Mark McLemore (option picked up)	OF Rickey Henderson (option declined)
DH Edgar Martinez (option picked up)	P Frank Rodriguez (released)
OF Ichiro Suzuki (signed from Japan)	P Jose Mesa (signed with Phillies)
OF Stan Javier (option picked up)	SS Alex Rodriguez (signed with Texas)
P Jeff Nelson (signed as free agent)
Re-signed 3B David Bell to one-year contract
Re-signed C Tom Lampkin to one-year contract
Re-signed OF Jay Buhner
Re-signed OF Mike Cameron to three-year contract
Re-signed P Brett Tomko to one-year contract
Re-signed P Jose Paniagua to a one-year contract
Re-signed P Paul Abbott to one-year contract

Seattle ended the 200 campaign with a plethora of pitching. Six proven starters on the roster, plus youngsters Gil Meche on the DL and Ryan Anderson at AAA was an awful lot of talent to have lying around. Unfortunately the latter two are now out for 2001, reducing the trading power of all that excess pitching. The bullpen, already solid, was improved immensely by dumping Jose Mesa and adding Jeff Nelson.

Meanwhile, on the offensive front, losing Alex Rodriguez to Texas was a significant blow to an offense already stretched one bat too thin. Signing Ichiro Suzuki from Japan was a coup, but he's still an unknown quantity in the US. He has played well in spring, though and finally started to demonstrate the ability to pull the ball for power. Bret Boone will provide more pop from 2B than Mark McLemore did last year. Then again, so could I, McLemore was that woeful. Third base is the Mariners really glaring weakness offensively, but they haven't been able to do anything about it. So far it looks like the job is David Bell's to lose, backed up by utility speedster Charles Gipson. Other major weaknesses are at catcher and left field, the latter especially so with Jay Buhner's foot injury. Overall, the Mariners have great pitching and a very suspect offense. However, offense is easier to come by than pitching, so I suspect that some of the worst holes will be filled as needed. But the Mariners will struggle to reach last years win total, probably ending up in the mid-high eighties.

Which leaves us with the division winning Oakland A's:

Oakland Athletics	2000 record: 91-70
Traded For	Traded Away
P's Aaron Harang and Ryan Cullen from Texas	2B Randy Velarde
P Eric Ireland from Cubs	OF Matt Stairs
P Chad Bradford from White Sox	C Miguel Olivo
P Corey Lidle from Tampa Bay	OF Ben Grieve
OF Johnny Damon and IF Mark Ellis from Kansas City	P Roberto Hernandez, C A.J. Hinch and IF Angel Berroa
Signed	Lost
P Dave Eiland	OF Bo Porter (waived)
P Gil Heredia (option picked up)	P Doug Jones (retired)
P Mark Guthrie (signed as free agent)	P Kevin Appier (signed with Mets)
Re-signed P Jason Isringhausen to one-year contract	P Marc Wilkins (designated for assignment)

With the developing talent on the A's roster, there was hardly a need for major activity in the off-season. The real story was who they let go. With Hudson and Zito developing, they decided to let Kevin Appier go, and they also traded away aging journeymen Randy Velarde and Matt Stairs. In a curious move, they also traded away Ben Grieve for the much more expensive and soon to be free-agent Johnny Damon. I really didn't like this move, as Damon was coming off what for him was likely a career year, while Grieve is likely to continue blossoming a bit. Grieve's defensive rep isn't great, but neither is Damon's, although he is faster.

Still, all this monkeying around wasn't a big deal. They still have Hudson, Zito, Heredia, Giambi, Tejada, Chavez, Hernandez and Piatt, so they'll be tough. The big question is whether Hudson and Zito can truly be the rotation anchors that they promise to be. Overall, the class of the West, the A's will probably end up winning the division with 90+ wins, and if everything really clicks, the best record in the AL.

So there it is. Coming next: spring training trips and fan etiquette.

about the author

Dave Paisley just got back from Phoenix, AZ, where his tan is coming along nicely. Please send sunburn remedies to drdjp@strikethree.com.