2018 AL West Preview

February 26, 2018

Houston Astros — Ken Giles had a postseason to forget, but won his arbitration hearing and is working hard this offseason, building up stamina to avoid a repeat performance. Backing him up will be change-up king Chris Devenski and a few sleeper options for saves: 29-year-old Hector Rondon, who struggled with the Cubs last year, but still put up 10.8 K/9; veteran submariner Joe Smith; and incumbent Will Harris, who continued to excel when healthy last season. We’ll start Harris at #3, but this team has a lot of high-quality late-inning options.

Starting 2018 hierarchy: Giles | Devenski | Harris.
Holds candidates: Devenski, Harris, Smith.

Los Angeles Angels — Blake Parker ended 2017 as the top closing option in Anaheim, and we think Parker starts with the edge in what will probably be a continuing committee. Familiar friends Cam Bedrosian and Keynan Middleton are also in the mix, along with recent acquisition Jim Johnson. The Johnson trade gave the Angels $1.2 million of the international bonus pool money they used to sign Shohei Ohtani, raising the possibility that Johnson’s biggest contribution to the team is already behind him.

Starting 2018 hierarchy: *Parker | Bedrosian | Middleton.
* = closer-by-committee
Holds candidates: Bedrosian, Blake Wood, Jose Alvarez.

Oakland A’s — Blake Treinen should continue as the Oakland closer, and is working on improving his fastball command. The setup options are much the same as last season: some combination of Liam Hendriks, Santiago Casilla, and Chris Hatcher, plus better-than-you’d-think newcomers Yusmeiro Petit and Emilio Pagan.

Starting 2018 hierarchy: Treinen | Hendriks | Petit.
Holds candidates: Hendriks, Petit, Ryan Buchter.

Seattle Mariners — 23-year-old Edwin Diaz is cultivating the mind of “an old guy on the mound,” and Seattle has a good mix of veterans and rookies to help keep baserunners off his lawn. New Mariner Juan Nicasio should own the eighth inning, with Nick Vincent and David Phelps also playing important roles.

Starting 2018 hierarchy: Diaz | Nicasio | Phelps.
Holds candidates: Nicasio, Phelps, Marc Rzepczynski.

Texas Rangers — Lefthanded sinkerballer Alex Claudio claimed first chair in a volatile closer committee last August. With Matt Bush headed to the (six-man) rotation, and an MRI revealing “disconcerting issues” in free agent Seung-Hwan Oh’s arm, the Rangers are left to choose among Claudio, Jake Diekman, and Keone Kela. Beat writers are torn between Claudio and his league-leading “cojones” and Kela’s electric stuff and .135 BAA. Jeff Banister wants to break camp with a guy, and although Kela has an extensive injury history, we think he’s the best option, and worth stashing even if Claudio or Diekman gets the gig. We’ll let you know as soon as we hear something firm.

Starting 2018 hierarchy: Kela | Claudio | Diekman.
Holds candidates: Diekman, Jose Leclerc, Tony Barnette.