AL West Preview: Can the Mariners and Angels Make the World Series Champion Astros Sweat?

The American League West isn’t the cakewalk it used to be for the Houston Astros. The Seattle Mariners have developed from within, the Los Angeles Angels have two of the best in the game, and the Texas Rangers have built a juggernaut that won’t be easily dismissed.

We’re looking at the AL West futures board, odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

What more can be said about the Houston Astros? The Astros have won the AL West in five of the past six years, making the World Series in four of those and winning twice. Without any substantive changes to their roster, Houston is set up for success again in 2023, and that’s reflected in their betting price. The defending champs enter the campaign as chalk to repeat as division winners and capture their third World Series since 2017. Granted, they’ll have to overcome the loss of Jose Altuve through the early part of the season, but that blow will be softened with Kyle Tucker and Jeremy Pena ready to step into the spotlight. If there’s a weakness to be found, the Astros don’t have an ace in their starting rotation, but they have the bullpen and offense to make up for that shortcoming.

The Seattle Mariners suffered through some lean years to get here, but finally, they have a major league roster ready to make a run. Julio Rodriguez is a legitimate MVP candidate and will be a catalyst on offense. J-Rod has a solid supporting cast around him, with Eugenio Suarez and Cal Raleigh back for another year and new additions Teoscar Hernandez and Kolten Wong ready to make a big impression. There aren’t many holes in the M’s roster, and they have the best chance at dethroning the Astros. 

The Los Angeles Angels start the season with renewed optimism every year, and it’s just a matter of time before the Halos disappoint. Nevertheless, LA enters the season with the third-best odds to win the division and claim its first AL West title since 2014. Spearheaded by Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, the Angels have two of the best players in all of baseball. Still, the supporting cast has failed to deliver, and other than adding journeymen Brandon Drury and Hunter Renfroe, the Angels didn’t make many offseason moves. Maybe this is the year it all comes together for the Halos, but it’s not worth the gamble at this price.

Texas Rangers (+1000)

The non-stop tinkering continued for the Texas Rangers. The Rangers have stockpiled talent for years, luring notable free agents with exceptional offers. They landed another one of the biggest fish this past offseason, bringing in two-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom. The tinkering didn’t stop there as Texas signed Andrew Heaney and Nathan Eovaldi to two-year pacts while adding Will Smith to bolster their bullpen. Like the Angels, Texas has much to prove before it can be taken seriously as a contender. But as it stands now, the whole is less than the sum of its parts. 

With the season about to get started, it won’t be long before the Oakland Athletics are mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. The A’s enter the season with the longest odds on the board, priced at a mind-numbing +25000 to win the division and an even more astounding +100000 to win the World Series. Best case scenario, some of these players are dealt to contenders ahead of the trade deadline. 

Get caught up with our MLB division previews: NL East | NL Central | NL West | AL Central

AL West Odds on FanDuel Sportsbook

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