AL West Angels
may give Oakland
a run for its money
The American League West
saw changes to deals in the
offseason in the wake of the
top-selling book “Moneyball”
By Bill Madden
New York Daily News (KRT)
One year later, it is a whole different
kind of "Moneyball" they're talking
about in the American League West.
Last year at this time, the soon-to
be-best-selling book "Moneyball" —
in which Oakland A's general man
ager Billy Beane is depicted as an
anti-scout genius - was just begin
ning to cause a buzz throughout
baseball. Beane's A's were coming off
their third straight trip to the post
season and the wonder of it all was
that it was accomplished with a pay
roll of barely $50 million.
Beane's payroll hasn't increased
much this season, either — especially
with the departure of 2002 AL MVP
shortstop Miguel Tejada — but the
Anaheim Angels' has.
Considerably. New Angels owner
Arte Moreno shelled out $146 mil
lion over the winter for free agents
Vladimir Guerrero, Bartolo Colon,
Kelvim Escobar and Jose Guillen. At
the same time, Beane's A's lost two
key components from their 2003 di
vision championship team, Tejada
and closer Keith Foulke, and traded
another, catcher Ramon Hernandez,
for financial reasons.
It would therefore appear as if mon
ey has brought about a dramatic shift
in the balance of power in the AL West.
Mind you, the A's still figure to be a
force, if only because of their vastly su
perior trio of pitching aces, Tim Hud
son, Barry Zito and Mark Mulder.
Their No.4 starter, Mark Redman, ac
quired from the World Champion
Florida Marlins, was a 15-game win
ner in '03.
But even though the A's owners
stepped out of character and locked
up third baseman Eric Chavez for six
years and $66 million in spring train
ing, the cost-control measures under
taken over the winter may have re
duced the A's to also-ran status.
For one thing, Arthur Rhodes, the
career set-up man signed to replace
Foulke, has never demonstrated a
closer mentality in pressure situa
tions. And while rookie shortstop
Bobby Crosby put up some impres
sive power numbers (22 HR 90 RBI)
at Triple-A Sacramento, the A's are
asking him to replace Tejada's consid
erable offensive production, which is
asking a lot.
Beane is banking on a big come
back from Jermaine Dye, and career
offensive seasons from offseason ac
quisitions Mark Kotsay and Bobby
Kielty in the outfield, which is also
asking a lot.
On the other hand, the Angels have
added the potential of 50-plus
homers with Guerrero and Guillen.
And with Colon and Escobar joining
their rotation, the Angels find them
selves being one of the very few teams
in baseball with a surplus of starters
this spring.
The team to watch in this division
is the Seattle Mariners, who made
major improvements over the winter
and can expect an encore from their
fast-developing young starting pitch
ers, Joel Pineiro, Ryan Franklin and
Gil Meche. That trio combined for
42 wins in their "coming out" 2003
season — only three fewer than
Hudson, Zito and Mulder. With vet
erans Jamie Moyer and Freddy Gar
cia, the Mariners' rotation is as deep
in quality as any in baseball. New
GM Bill Bavasi made some excellent
free-agent signings — closer Eddie
Guardado, third baseman Scott
Spiezio, left fielder Raul Ibanez and
infielder Rich Aurilia - that addressed
most of the Mariners' off-season
needs. Worrisome, however, is the
age of this team - regulars Bret
Boone, Edgar Martinez, John Olerud
and rotation ace Moyer are all 35 or
older - and that showed in the M's
late-season fade last year.
Once again, Buck Showalter's
Texas Rangers will finish last in the
AL West, only this time without Alex
Rodriguez.
(c) 2004, New York Daily News.
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune
Information Services.
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