AL West: Mariners, Angels Duke It Out

The Seattle Mariners are now solid contenders in the AL West.

However, the expectations of Bill Bavasi and the huge contracts to Erik Bedard and Ichiro Suzuki weigh heavily on the psyche of other players on the team.

It certainly is not a motivator—having elitist class and lower class citizens. This problem manifested itself in Ancient Greece in the Fifth Century B.C.E., and proved to be the downfall of the tyrannical ruler.

One should learn well from Antigone.

The AL East might yield two playoff teams. With a strong AL Central, Detroit and Cleveland, winning the West is perhaps crucial in making the playoffs.

Will the highly paid athletes slouch, as did Adrian Beltre at the beginning of his contract years?

And the other forgettable waste of money the M's seem to be addicted to, as they sign long term deals and do nothing except hurt the team—will this be a recurring nightmare?

Making trades with such magnitude, where the M's have given away the farm, should bring Bavasi's tenure to its doom. He fails to comprehend the meaning of the greater good for the overall success of the team, as a team for the long haul.

So goodbye Bavasi. It's no wonder the Angels got rid of you. Adios Amigo!

The Angels were odds on favorites to win the AL West. However, the team depends too heavily on Vladimir Guerrero, John Lackey, and the backend of the bullpen.

As Vlad is an opposing pitcher's target, he will most likely suffer hand injuries during the season. A Vladless team is not an AL West winner.

Nor is a Lackey injury, or the ineptness of Scot Shields and Francisco Rodriguez as the LAA demonstrated all to often in 2007.

Adding Garland may have improved the rotation, however, he remains untested and a question mark. Should he return to form, and should Lackey and Escobar repeat last year's heroics, the LAA pitching staff will still be competing with a strong M's pitching staff.

Too many ifs.

Looking at the lineup, Chone Figgins is unlikely to perform at his 2007 level, as Haynes (Figgins' crutch) will certainly not make the 25-man roster.

Erick Aybar's hitting was terrible during winter ball and he is untested as an every day player.

Garret Anderson, the aging superstar, is in the last year of his contract and does not like the DH role.

Torii Hunter is proven and fantastic.

Casey Kotchman has yet to live up to his expectations.

Howie Kendrick is a hitting machine.

The catching duo of Mike Napoli and Jeff Mathis is a problem. If Napoli played full time, or Mathis played full time, then the offense would be much stronger. However, that's clearly not the case. 

In the DH spot, Kendry Morales is probably going to get fewer at-bats, and that's a shame.

With the starting OF of Vlad, GA, and Hunter, LAA probably has the best OF in baseball. However, LAA has seven OFers and playing time for them will be limited. Gary Matthews Jr. will be the fourth OF and is clearly the one player who brought Bill Stoneman to his teary-eyed demise.

Prediction: LAA will not win the West.

The M's should improve over their six-game deficit of 2007. The chance of a second place team in the West winning the wild card is slim to none, with Boston, NYY, Detroit, and Cleveland as the competition.

Prediction: Mariners 95 wins, LA Angels 90 wins, Oakland A's 78 wins, Texas Rangers 77 wins.