Alden GonzalezJan 19, 2026, 07:00 AM ETCloseESPN baseball reporter. Covered the L.A. Rams for ESPN from 2016 to 2018 and the L.A. Angels for MLB.com from 2012 to 2016.Follow on X
Passan: Baseball fans believe the game has become unfair (1:52)Jeff Passan breaks down the anger coming from baseball fans in response to the Dodgers signing Kyle Tucker. (1:52)
The biggest contract handed out in the American League West occurred on Nov. 17, a mere two weeks into the offseason. It wasn’t from the Houston Astros, who claimed seven division titles and two World Series championships from 2017 to 2024. It wasn’t from the Texas Rangers, who splurged half a billion dollars on a middle infield to catapult them to a title in 2023.
It was from the Seattle Mariners, a franchise often decried for its frugality, and still the only one to never reach the final round.
Another extension or two would be nice, as well. This last calendar year saw the A’s lock up Brent Rooker, Lawrence Butler and Tyler Soderstrom to long-term contracts, ensuring they’d be fixtures in the lineup as they make their anticipated move to Las Vegas in 2028. Adding any one of Nick Kurtz, Jacob Wilson or Shea Langeliers to that list before spring training would be ideal.
That is clearly not the preferred path, however. And so the Astros face something of a dilemma in the final month before spring training. A team like the Boston Red Sox would surely be interested in Paredes and his pull-happy approach, an ideal fit for the Green Monster. But can the Astros trade Paredes, unclog their infield, get some young talent back and not make themselves weaker for 2026?
What they still need to do: The Angels needed a center fielder before executing a three-team trade last week. They still do. By using reliever Brock Burke and pitching prospect Chris Clark to land Lowe from the Tampa Bay Rays, they added a much-needed left-handed hitter with three years of control. But Lowe is a corner outfielder. So are Jo Adell, Jorge Soler and, at this point, Mike Trout. Unless there’s another move coming, Adell and/or Trout could spend a lot of time in center field in 2026.
What they still need to do: The Mariners were in on Kazuma Okamoto before he signed with the Toronto Blue Jays and were engaged with the Diamondbacks on star second baseman Ketel Marte before Arizona decided to stop listening to offers. Seattle is still believed to be in on St. Louis’ Brendan Donovan and would be open to yet another reunion with Eugenio Suarez, underscoring its remaining need for a second or third baseman.
The Rangers still would like to add more pitching, however. At the moment, they once again don’t have a set closer, but, given what remains, they probably won’t get one. Still, more depth for the rotation and in the bullpen would help. Those moves will likely come on the fringes. The Rangers are no longer acting like big spenders.
The Mariners authored one of their greatest seasons in 2025, winning 90 games and claiming the AL West for the first time in 24 years before a gut-wrenching loss in Game 7 of the AL Championship Series. Their $92.5 million deal to bring back first baseman Josh Naylor nearly matched what the rest of the AL West has spent on free agents so far this winter ($98.4 million), a clear sign of their intentions to maintain their standing atop the division. But time remains. Big free agents are still available. Budgets, in theory, can shift.
What they still need to do: As it stands, with Yordan Alvarez primed to absorb the majority of the time at designated hitter, there is no real pathway for Isaac Paredes to get consistent at-bats. One way to do that would be to trade Christian Walker, but he’s 34, owed another $40 million and coming off a season in which he OPS’d just .717. The market for him is almost nonexistent. Trading Paredes, who is still only 26 and controllable for two more seasons, is far easier and might also help the Astros address their outfield.
What they’ve accomplished so far: In the end, given what transpired thereafter, the Angels’ biggest move of the offseason might have been hiring the esteemed Mike Maddux as their pitching coach. The Angels have since gone on to give Maddux quite a few reclamation projects, including Rodriguez (out all of 2025), Manoah (most recently struggling to get outs in the minor leagues), Romano (7.83 ERA the past two years) and Yates (coming off a 5.23 ERA in his age-38 season). None of those aforementioned arms cost much, and it would be a boon if any one of them hits. But it’s hard to count on that.
Even if the Angels maintain the status quo in their outfield — and it sounds like they will, with general manager Perry Minasian saying Lowe will also get a chance to play center field — they still need a third baseman. And they could benefit from another starting pitcher. By trading Taylor Ward to the Baltimore Orioles for Rodriguez, the Angels saved more than $11 million in salary commitments for 2026. By deferring the last year of Anthony Rendon’s contract, they saved an additional $30 million or so. And yet almost none of those savings have filtered their way back onto the roster.
What they’ve accomplished so far: The Mariners made their big move a couple of weeks into the offseason, bringing back Naylor on a five-year contract. It was clear from the outset that the two were an ideal match. Getting that done took some of the pressure off the rest of the winter. The Mariners have followed by using backup catcher Harry Ford to land Ferrer, a left-hander who throws strikes and generates ground balls, and adding a lefty masher in Refsnyder, who can fill in at first base, the corner outfield or designated hitter.
The Mariners were one win from the first World Series appearance in franchise history last fall and will do what’s necessary to supplement the current group and finish the job. How much payroll flexibility they maintain is unknown. What is known, though, is that they boast one of the sport’s deepest farm systems and can use it to make another necessary addition to their lineup. The Mariners seem hesitant to pluck from their major league roster to address needs via trade, but they shouldn’t have to.
Passan: Baseball fans believe the game has become unfair (1:52)Jeff Passan breaks down the anger coming from baseball fans in response to the Dodgers signing Kyle Tucker. (1:52)
Jeff Passan breaks down the anger coming from baseball fans in response to the Dodgers signing Kyle Tucker. (1:52)
With spring training roughly a month away, we’re taking a look at each team’s offseason activity and what might come next, continuing with the AL West. Additionally, we’ve assigned each team an urgency rating — from one to five, based on how much each still needs to accomplish before reporting to camp:
2 — They’re having a strong winter, but more would help.
3 — We’ll judge their winter on where it goes from here.
OF Josh Lowe RHP Grayson Rodriguez RHP Alek Manoah RHP Kirby Yates RHP Jordan Romano
OF Brandon Nimmo C Danny Jansen RHP Alexis Diaz RHP Jakob Junis
What they still need to do: Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young recently said his position-player group is basically set, with Jansen replacing Heim at catcher, Nimmo replacing García in right field and Josh Smith and Ezequiel Duran poised to replace Semien at second base. Any improvements will come from Evan Carter, Wyatt Langford and Josh Jung taking the next steps in their respective developments, Corey Seager staying healthy, and Joc Pederson and Jake Burger bouncing back.
CloseESPN baseball reporter. Covered the L.A. Rams for ESPN from 2016 to 2018 and the L.A. Angels for MLB.com from 2012 to 2016.Follow on X
5 — It has been a disaster. Can they turn it around?