Play Ball: A.L. West

1. Oakland Athletics
Best Move: Acquiring C/DH Mike Piazza. A DH became a need when Frank Thomas fled North to Toronto. Nobody within the team would've made up for the pop lost by the departure of Thomas. Also, Piazza should be a more successful hitter since he no longer will be an everyday catcher.
Worst Move: Letting Zito hop the pond. Although the rotation is solid, losing a pitcher of Zito's caliber takes a toll. What was previously an elite rotation is now just a good one. Rich Harden isn't ready to take over the number 1 spot and there is no reason to believe number 5 Joe Kennedy or number 3 Esteban Loaiza will be successful.
Season Outlook: It won't be easy, but Oakland looks like the team with all the tools to win the division. Infield depth should be a concern, especially at 3rd base where Antonio Perez is Eric Chavez's back up. Depth in the outfield is solid with Nick Swisher and Bobby Kielty backing up Shannon Stewart, Milton Bradley, and Mark Kotsay. It will be interesting to see if Dan Johnson could take the 1st base job, bumping Swisher permanently to LF. If Swisher takes the 1st base job, Johnson will be used as a back-up there and DH. When Johnson plays first, Swisher can be used in the outfield.
2. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Best Move: Not trading away their young talent at low prices. The Angels are stocked with Major League-ready prospects in C Mike Napoli, 1B Kendry Morales, 1B Casey Kotchman, 2B Howie Kendrick, SS/3B Brandon Wood, OF Juan Rivera, and SP Ervin Santana. Although they fielded many low-ball offers for these players, they held off, which was the smart move.
Worst Move: Signing Gary Matthews Jr. to a large, undeserved contract. Matthews Jr. is well over the hill as far as his opportunity to reach his potential goes. He's a slightly above average fielder with a mediocre bat. I'm pretty sure that his 'catch' is what netted him such a large contract.
Season Outlook: The Angels didn't add a big bat, which it desperately needed, so it will be counting on its young guns like Kendrick and Napoli to put in some power. The rotation also lacks depth, even when Bartolo Colon is healthy. If a pitcher besides Colon goes down, they will be scraping for another starter. As of now, this is the closest team to reaching the A's, but it wouldn't shock me to see them crash and burn to the bottom of the division.
3. Texas Rangers
Best Move: Improving their pitching. The Rangers signed Eric Gagne, Jamey Wright, and Bruce Chen while trading for Brandon McCarthy. If Gagne is healthy, he'll move Akinori Otsuka back into the set-up role that he excels at. McCarthy has the potential to be dominant, but playing in such a launching pad might hurt him.
Worst Move: Not upgrading the outfield. It's not like the Rangers made any bad moves, but they could've tried to upgrade the outfield, especially right field. Nelson Cruz and Marlon Byrd are mediocre reserves and shouldn't be starting on any team.
Season Outlook: If Gagne returns to form and McCarthy, Chen and Robinson Tejeda step up in the back of the rotation, this could be a dangerous team. The infield is stocked with talent on offense and defense, but the outfield lacks offensive production. If they can acquire a big bat in the outfield [Pat Burrell], they could be a team to watch out of the West.
4. Seattle Mariners
Best Move: Signing OF Jose Guillen. Although the move wasn't heralded, it was needed. The alternatives were Willie Bloomquist and Adam Jones. Guillen still has some pop left in his bat and he can get it done in the field. Although he is an injury risk, the Mariners needed an outfielder and Guillen wasn't a bad choice.
Worst Move: Investing $16 million this year in Miguel Batista and Jeff Weaver. The two may be innings eaters, but they are also grossly overpaid. Weaver parlayed postseason success with the Cardinals to offseason riches. At best he is a end of the rotation pitcher that can kill innings, but he isn't worth the investment, especially with his history. Batista is well over the hill and had a BAA pushing .300 last year. He also may hit the 200 inning mark, but with his age and wear, it wouldn't be a shocked if he got gassed.
Season Outlook: 3b Adrian Beltre might finally be getting a handle on AL pitching, which will help. The young duo up the middle, SS Yuniesky Betancourt and 2B Jose Lopez, are amazing defenders and are developing their bats. The outfield should also provide good offense, led by Ichiro. This teams breakdown will be pitching. Expected savior Felix Hernandez needs to step up this season for the team to have a chance. The only other solid starter is Jarrod Washburn, but on any other team he'd be a 2 or 3, as opposed to a 1 in Seattle. As long as the starters and bullpen can get the game to Putz with a lead, they can do all right.