1. Houston
2. Texas
3. Los Angeles
4. Seattle
5. Oakland
I like the Astros to build off last season and come out firing on all cylinders this year. The bullpen was an achilles heel before but Giles' addition helps tremendously. Houston is loaded with young, power bats that we'll see during the season. I like the 'Stros to shore up the rotation with a stellar deadline deal as well.
Texas is going to give Houston a run for their money and potentially snatch up a WC spot in the process. Deshields should have a huge season and put a lot of runs on the board. A lot to like with a full season of Hamels anchoring the roto.
Hard to bet against Trout but easy to bet against such a garbage rotation. I don't know that we'll ever see Weaver close to what he once was. I refuse to buy into any, if any, hype surrounding Seattle while Oakland is retooling for a year or so. Expect Sonny Gray to fetch a nice return when the trade market opens up.
Okay, so the Astros are my pick to win the division, but my interesting thing about this division is the Mariners. The Mariners are starting to intrigue me, and I think the next 3-6 years are going to be a fun one with these two teams.
I like the Astros because of their high-quality young talent and an ace to lead the way. While Rangers will be very solid next year, however I have yet to see the Rangers make any huge improvements this offseason and a lack of reliable offensive players concerns me. The Angels have made some great improvements in the infield this year, which is why I project them to be in a good 3-team race with the two teams from Texas, however unless they make a deadline deal for an ace, I do not see them pulling it to October.