It is a new world in the AL West after the Houston Astros failed to make the playoffs. The Seattle Mariners, everyone’s other favorite team, made a stirring postseason run and are now the team to beat. Now the question is how the Astros and the other Lone Star State team, the Texas Rangers, respond to the M’s newfound success. The Athletic are stuck in purgatory for another couple years, but do have players worth watching, while the Los Angeles Angels have plenty of work to do to dig out of last place.
2025 record: 90-72 (first place)
Postseason: Beat Detroit Tigers in the AL Division Series 3-2, lost to Toronto Blue Jays in the AL Championship Series 4-3.
What went right: In a season with so many tremendous memories, there is only one place to begin: Cal Raleigh. He hit an MLB-best 60 regular-season home runs, becoming just the 10th player in MLB history and third in AL history to do so. He did it as a catcher, with the daily battering he takes behind the plate. He did it as a switch-hitter. Raleigh also drove in 125 runs to lead the AL and finished a close second in a heavily watched AL MVP vote. Center fielder Julio Rodríguez bounced back from a subpar 2024 to put up his best bWAR season at 6.8. He had a slash line of .267/.324/.474 with a 30-30 season (32 homers, 30 steals) and 95 RBIs. Second baseman-designated hitter Jorge Polanco bounced back from a knee injury to hit 26 homers and rive in 78, while left fielder Randy Arozarena struggled at the plate but still put up a 27 homers and 76 RBIs. Trade deadline pickup Josh Naylor was better than advertised with nine homers, 33 RBIs and 19 steals in 54 games. Of course, there is also the stellar pitching staff. There might not be a better foursome in all of MLB than right-handers Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo, George Kirby and Luis Castillo. That success continued in the bullpen, where closer Andrés Muñoz (38 saves), right-hander Eduard Bazardo, Matt Brash and Carlos Vargas and left-hander Gabe Speier did yeoman’s work. All but Brash (53) appeared in at least 64 games. It all added up to a fantastic finish to the regular season, as the Mariners had a four-game AL West deficit on Sept. 3, but then won 17 of 18 games beginning Sept. 6 to overtake the Houston Astros and grab a five-game lead en route to their first division title since 2001. That magic continued in the AL Division Series, where the Mariners need a dramatic, 15-inning win in Game 5 to oust the Detroit Tigers.
What went wrong: Not much, but third base was definitely an issue for the Mariners. Ben Williamson handled most of the duties, but didn’t add much at all offensively as his .253/.294/.310 slash line (one homer, 21 RBIs in 295 plate appearances) shows. Even adding Eugenio Suárez at the deadline didn’t help much during the regular season (.189/.255/.428), although he did his 13 homers after coming over from the Arizona Diamondbacks. But no one will ever forget his go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning of Game 5 of the ALCS. Right-hander Bryce Miller, the fifth member of the standout rotation, battled inflammation in his right elbow and made just 18 starts with a 5.68 ERA. Suarez’s slam turned out to be the last of the big-time moments for the Mariners. After that blast helped the Mariners take a 3-2 lead in the ALCS and one win from the franchise’s first World Series appearance, the Jays returned home to win Games 6 and 7.
What needs to be done: One big item has already been crossed off the offseason to-do list. That was when Naylor signed a five-year, $92.5 million to remain with the Mariners. With Suarez, Polanco and Mitch Garver becoming free agents, there is a little work to do to remain atop the West. Cole Young made his MLB debut this year and could take over at second base. Would Polanco return to play third base or do the Mariners try to retain Suarez? It still feels like J-Rod still has another level to get to, something that maybe this postseason performance unlocked. There is a little work to do here and any major move would be noteworthy.
2025 record: 87-75 (second place, 3 GB)
Postseason: None (since 2024).
What went right: While the season ended in an unfamiliar fashion, there were a few players who turned in standout performances. That begins with right-hander Hunter Brown, who blossomed into one of the better starters in baseball. Brown has taken a step up in each of his three full seasons and also been very durable. He went 12-9 with a 2.43 ERA, not only earning a trip to the All-Star Game, but finishing third in AL Cy Young Award voting. He was a good running mate with left-hander Framber Valdez at the top of the rotation. Closer Josh Hader was fairly dominant with 28 saves before his season ended due to a should injury. He had a very good supporting cast, too, with right-hander Bryan Abreu and left-handers Bryan King and Steven Okert. Offensively, shortstop Jeremy Peña posted a career-best slash line of .304/.363/.477 to go along with 17 homers and 62 RBIs. Newcomer Isaac Paredes hit 20 homers, as did catcher Yainer Diaz.
What went wrong: For the first time since 2016, the Astros did not appear in the playoffs. They won the division in seven of the previous eight years and made it to the ALCS seven times and the World Series four times. But this Astros team couldn’t sustain that success, not even posting a winning record in any of the final three months. That included a stretch in late September in which the Astros lost six of seven and were overtaking by the Mariners. Who is to blame? It has to start with superstar Jose Altuve, who had the worst nonpandemic season of his career as he bounced between second base and left field. Altuve had the worst batting average of his career at .265, yet still hit 26 homers and drove in 77, his highest total since 2021. Slugging outfielder Yordan Alvarez only appeared in 48 games due to a misdiagnosed hand injury, yet still only produced six homers and 27 RBIs. Right fielder Cam Smith, who came over with Paredes in the Kyle Tucker trade, struggled to a .236/.312/.358 slash line. First baseman Christian Walker did hit 27 homers, but his slash line of .238/.297/.421 was not what was expected. Finally, the rotation was inconsistent after Brown and Valdez. Some of that was due to right-hander Spencer Arrighetti’s pair of injuries and Cristian Javier and Luis García coming back late in the season after much different Tommy John journeys.
What needs to be done: The Astros could go a number of ways in order to try to keep pace with the Mariners atop the West. They return an infield with Walker at first Altuve or Paredes platooning at second, Pena at short and Carlos Correa back in the fold playing third base. Jesus Sanchez, who came over at the trade deadline from the Miami Marlins, can play either corner outfield spot, with Jake Meyers in center and Smith in right. That should limit Alvarez to DH duties with his hand likely healed completely by spring training. Valdez and right-handed reliever Rafael Montero are free agents, so the Astros will be in the market for a starter if not two. But an undeniable fact is that Altuve turns 36 in May and is under contract through 2029. The Astros can’t afford to have their leadoff hitter not produce.
2025 record: 81-81 (third place, 9 GB)
Postseason: None (since 2023).
What went right: The top of the Rangers’ rotation was outstanding. Right-hander Jacob deGrom remained healthy the entire year, dialing back his velocity slightly, which allowed him to make 30 starts and toss 172⅔ innings, the most in each category since he won his second straight Cy Young in 2019. He still struck out 185, but his K% percentage was down slightly to 27.7%, his lowest mark since 2016. Still, he held opponents to a .196 batting average. The other half was right-hander Nathan Eovaldi, who had a 1.73 ERA through 22 starts before his season ended due to a strained rotator cuff. Not to be overlooked, right-hander Tyler Mahle had a 2.18 ERA in 16 starts before a shoulder injury sidelined him, while right-hander Jack Leiter found his stride to the tune of a 3.86 ERA in 29 starts. The bullpen also had good performers in Shawn Armstrong, Robert Garcia, Chris Martin and Jacob Webb. From the hitting group, shortstop Corey Seager was as good as he has been, producing a .271/.373/.487 slash line with 21 homers, but he was limited to 102 games due to a hamstring injury and then a late-season appendectomy. Left fielder Wyatt Langford was the only other player to reach 20 homers with his team-high 22.
What went wrong: While the pitching staff more than held its own, the offense did not. Aside from Seager, everyone else underproduced. That starts with second baseman Marcus Semien, who had a .230/.305/.364 slash line and relinquished his leadoff role in April. He also fractured his left foot in August, which caused him to miss the rest of the season. After not playing fewer than 159 games in any full season since 2017, he played in just 127 this year. Left fielder Adolis García did lead the team with 75 RBIs, but he had a career-worst slash line of .227/.271/.394. Slugging third baseman Jake Burger was sent to Triple-A in early May and DH Joc Pederson hit just nine homers in 96 games. Center fielder Evan Carter was on the injured list three times and also spent time at Triple-A.
What needs to be done: In one of the most surprising managerial moves, four-time World Series champion Bruce Bochy left the Rangers and was replaced by Skip Schumaker, who had been in the Rangers’ front office. The Rangers had missed the playoffs in each of the two seasons since winning the 2023 World Series, the franchise’s first title. The only notable free agents are Mahle, Armstrong, right-hander Jon Gray and left-handed reliever Hoby Milner. Garcia has been so disappointing the last two years that the Rangers cut ties with him via a nontender Friday. He was projected to make $12.1 million in arbitration. The Rangers also sliced potential salaries with nontendering Webb ($2 million), catcher Jonah Heim ($6 million) and right-handed relievers Josh Sborz ($1.1 million) as well. With the rest of the position player group basically returning, the Rangers will need improved offensive performances all around. The rotation will be good again, although needing to replace Mahle. The bullpen will need to be revamped, much as it was bolstered at the trade deadline. Finding a lockdown closer would be a major boost to this group.
Athletics
2025 record: 76-86 (fourth place, 14 GB)
Postseason: None (since 2020).
What went right: All of the positive developments came on offense, some of that due to the A’s playing in a hitter-friendly minor-league stadium. Still, it was hard to overlook the performance of rookie first baseman Nick Kurtz. After a slow start, he flashed consistent power from May 20 on. From there he hit 35 of his 36 homers and drove in 80 of his 86 runs, which included his historic four-homer game in July. That all added up to him being a unanimous pick for the AL Rookie of the Year. Another rookie, shortstop Jacob Wilson, had a cup of coffee in 2024, and put his contact-first skills on display, putting up a .311/.355/.444 slash line with 13 homers and 54 RBIs to finish second in Rookie of the Year voting, giving the A’s a couple of building blocks as they play out their sentence in West Sacramento. Tyler Soderstrom, a former catcher now playing left field, became a consistent threat with his .276/.346/.474 slash line that included 25 homers and a team-leading 93 RBIs. Speaking of catchers, Shea Langeliers added 31 homers and 72 RBIs, while designated hitter Brent Rooker had 30 homers and 90 RBIs. Center fielder Lawrence Butler added 21 homers and stole 22 bases, but he could stand to improve his .234/.306/.404 slash line.
What went wrong: Playing at Sutter Health Park was not a good experience, regardless how anyone wants to spin it. While a solid Triple-A venue, watching MLB players have to trudge through the left-field wall to get to the clubhouse is not only strange, but just unwieldly. The same can be said for managers who have to make the walk of shame after being ejected. While the stadium was hitter-friendly, it certainly wasn’t good for pitchers. The A’s finished with a 4.70 ERA, only better than three teams, a mark that grew to 4.96 in home games, which ranked 28th. It caused right-hander Luis Severino, who chose to play there with a three-year, $67 million contract, to complain. If he doesn’t get dealt this offseason, he will certainly opt out of the final year of his deal. The best pitcher on the staff, closer Mason Miller, was traded at the deadline in a blockbuster deal with the San Diego Padres.
What needs to be done: With the A’s forced to play in West Sacramento for at least the 2026 and 2027 seasons, there won’t be much progress from the record they turned in this year (76-86). Perhaps if they catch lightning in a bottle, they could push across .500, but with the Mariners, Astros and Rangers ahead of them, there won’t be a realistic chance of contending, especially since pitchers now have a year of data at Sutter Health Park to look at. The only free-agent loss was right-handed reliever José Leclerc, who pitched in just 10 games and had surgery to repair a right lat strain. The position-player group is fairly locked with with the other Max Muncy being able to play second or third base, but needing to be more of an offensive contributor than his .214/.259/.379 slash line put forth. Defense wiz Denzel Clarke is likely to platoon with Butler in center, with the only real opening in right field.
2025 record: 72-90 (last place, 18 GB)
Postseason: None (since 2014).
What went right: This is really a mixed bag no matter how you look at it. We will represent it this way. The Angels ranked fourth in MLB in home runs, but ranked 23rd in OPS, which includes an MLB-worst batting average. Left fielder Taylor Ward hit a 36 homers, which were 11 more than his previous career high from 2024, and a team-best 103 RBIs. Center fielder Jo Adell, who debuted in 2020, had a breakout year in his second full MLB season, belting a team-high 37 homers and driving in 98, finally realizing the potential the Angels saw in him. Superstar Mike Trout, serving mainly as the DH but also seeing time in right field, played 130 games, his most since 2019 and hit 26 homers. Shortstop Zach Neto hit 26 homers and stole 26 bases. On the mound, left-handed starter Yusei Kikuchi, the big offseason signing, made all of his starts and posted a 3.99 ERA. Right-hander José Soriano was a solid member of the rotation with a 4.26 ERA. Right-handed closer Kenley Jansen proved valuable when needed, notching 29 saves and 2.59 ERA.
What went wrong: Despite a 9-16 April, the Angels still hovered around .500 for much of the season. But once reinforcements didn’t arrive at the trade deadline, the Halos went 19-34 over the final two months to finish in the AL West basement in back-to-back seasons. While I noted the homers and RBIs for a few players above, I left out their slash lines. Here they are: Ward .228/.317/.475, Adell .236/.293/.485, Trout .232/.359/.439. Neto was slightly better at .257/.319/.474 but you can see why the Angels were otherwise bad offensively. Right fielder Jorge Soler didn’t play after July 23 due to lower-back inflammation and only had a .215/.293/.387 slash line with 12 homers and 34 RBIs in 82 games. Others share the blame for a bad offense, including catcher Logan O’Hoppe (.213/.258/.371), but you get the idea. The rotation wasn’t any better. The good news is the rotation stayed mostly healthy. The bad news is that of the other three pitchers to make double-digit starts — left-hander Tyler Anderson and right-handers Kyle Hendricks and Jack Kochanowicz — none had an ERA lower than 4.56. L.A. had the third-worst team ERA at 4.89. Oh, and let us not forget about third baseman Anthony Rendon, the Angels’ highest-paid player who missed the entire season after having surgery on his left hip.
What needs to be done: Manager Ron Washington had to leave the team in late June to have quadruple-bypass surgery and didn’t return to the bench. His option was declined and the Angels hired former catcher Kurt Suzuki, an organization man with no previous managerial experience, to take his place. To show their commitment to Suzuki, he received a one-year contract, unheard of for a new manager. Anderson, Jansen, second baseman Luis Rengifo and third baseman Yoán Moncada are free agents, while Hendricks retired. The Angels made a surprising trade this week, acquiring right-hander Grayson Rodriguez from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for Ward. While Rodriguez has four years of control (and Ward was entering his walk year), the just-turned 26-year-old hasn’t pitched in an MLB game since a lat injury in 2024 and then having bone spurs — which had bothered him since spring training — removed in August of this year, ending his comeback. He is expected to be ready by spring training. There are several other holes to plug even if Rodriguez is able to join the rotation for Opening Day (and will certainly be on an innings limit). The Angels will be an opportunity for some prospects as well as some veterans looking for a job, but the overall state of the team isn’t very attractive.