Oakland Athletics: Offseason AL West Power Rankings
By Jamie Faue
Sep 22, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics rush the field after the final out against the Minnesota Twins in ninth inning at O.co Coliseum. Oakland won 11-7 and clinched the American League West title. Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports
It has been a busy offseason for the Oakland Athletics, as they have made a number of trades, and signed Billy Butler in free agency. However, the A’s also lost a few players to free agency as well, including Jed Lowrie, Alberto Callaspo, Luke Gregerson and Jon Lester. The A’s have, more or less, re-built their team entirely with young prospects, Butler, Ben Zobrist and Tyler Clippard. However, will it be enough to reach the playoffs for the fourth season in a row?
Not only has Oakland been busy this offseason, so have the division rivals Seattle Mariners, who signed power hitter Nelson Cruz to a four-year $57 million deal. The Cruz deal has boosted Seattle’s growing and improving lineup even more. The Mariners also landed starting pitcher J.A. Happ in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays to add another well-seasoned arm to their dynamite starting rotation.
That leaves the Los Angeles Angels, the Texas Ranger, and the Houston Astros, who have been rather quiet in terms of offseason moves. All three teams have kept their teams relatively the same as last season, with pickups here and there. No moves were made that really jumped out, or would improve the team.
So, how do the teams stack up? Lets take a look in the offseason American League West power rankings.
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