The American League West Has Been Disappointing in 2026

As the Postseason draws closer, many teams are fighting for playoff berths and/or division titles. In this case, the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers are in a battle for the American League West crown. It's now a two-team show in this division, and we await to see which one will be the last team standing. I've been hyper fixated on the AL West since May, because it's usually a competitive division. Four of the five teams were engaged in a game of American League West musical chairs, with each becoming division leaders for a period of time. The other reason is because my team, the Rangers, are in that same division as the Astros. Let's learn a bit more about the American League West and I'll share my thoughts about each team.

Who Is the American League West?

The American League West was founded in 1969. The Oakland Athletics (now simply known as the Athletics) has the most division titles with 17. There are currently five teams in the division. The Athletics have been part of the AL West since the division's inception. This was also true for the Anaheim Angels (now the Los Angeles Angels). In 1972, the Texas Rangers was the third team to join the division after coming from the American League East as the Washington Senators. Five years later, another team was added to the division and that was the Seattle Mariners. Finally, the Houston Astros was the last team to join the American League West in 2013 after stints as part of the National League East and Central.

Houston Astros

The Rangers hated rivals were hopeful that Carlos Correa would return from his injury, but the organization recently announced that he would not return at all this season. I've shared my harsh and heavy disdain for this team in previous stories. I still don't like them and also still refuse to acknowledge them as World Series Champions. Next year will mark a decade since their infamous cheating scandal, where they won a World Series title that they didn't earn. Robbing the Los Angeles Dodgers of a championship was one thing. Using cheating tactics in order to win a title was appalling. I'll never forgive the Astros for winning a championship under false pretenses, cheating their own fans out of an experience and embarrassing the City of Houston and the State of Texas. Some may disagree with the take I'm about to offer, but I feel like the Astros are better off by returning to the National League and also the organization doing a major overhaul in their front office. Even if they were to start off with a clean slate, because Jose Altuve isn't getting any younger, I still wouldn't refer to them as Word Series Champions or give them any sort of praise. My opinions about them have not and will never change for the foreseeable future.

Texas Rangers

It's been an up and down season for my beloved team. They're fighting for not only for the AL West title, but they're still in the Wild Card hunt. The rotation overall hasn't impressed me this year. There were times when pitchers like Jacob deGrom and MacKenzie Gore would have solid performances and other times, it would be the complete opposite. Their season is on the line, so consistency from the entire rotation is a must. Now, I want to be fair towards Skip Schumaker. In his first season as manager, he's done an okay job. He was named as the Rangers manager last offseason after Bruce Bochy was let go after three seasons as skipper. Bochy led the Rangers to their first World Series title in franchise history back in 2023, winning his fourth title overall. Schumaker was previously the manager of the Miami Marlins, before serving under an advisory role for the Rangers for a year before being named as the team's skipper. He reunited with Jake Burger, who also was with the Marlins. If the Rangers miss the playoffs for the third consecutive year, they will need to make some changes to their rotation. Also, and I know this is going to be hard for my fellow Rangers fans to hear, but I feel like Corey Seager's time with the ballclub is over. He has been dealing with multiple injuries and numerous trips to the injured list this season. I don't like blaming injuries for a subpar season or on an underperforming player. The real question is who would take Seager's spot on the roster, should he be traded to another team? I'll be keeping an eye on offseason news, especially the Winter Meetings and keep everyone posted.

Seattle Mariners

In the 2025 ALCS, the defending AL West Champions were so close of winning their first pennant in franchise history and also heading to their first trip to the World Series. Fast forward to this season and the Mariners are on the brink of being eliminated from playoff contention. They're expected to finish the 2026 MLB season with a losing record. It's been a disappointing season for catcher Cal Raleigh. The AL MVP runner-up has struggled this season, which was a far cry from his 2025 record-breaking year, which he was a heavy favorite for the aforementioned award. However, it would go to Aaron Judge, which caused some controversy online. The Mariners are celebrating their 50th anniversary as a franchise, but if baseball is played in 2027, all they can do is use the offseason to recharge and regroup.

Athletics

The A's were one of the teams I chose to clinch a Wild Card berth before the season began. They won't see October this year, but I see a great future for this team. They have plenty of young players who will make a lasting impact on the organization. They'll be in Sacramento through 2027 until they officially move into their new ballpark in Las Vegas in time for the 2028 MLB season. Players like Lawrence Butler and Max Muncy (yes, there's two Max Muncys playing in the league, but with different teams) are going to make the A's something for MLB to talk about.

Los Angeles Angels

Angels fans sighed huge breaths of relief when news of longtime owner Arte Moreno was selling the team. Moreno has been the owner for over 20 years and he now passes the torch to Stan Kroenke. Their franchise player, Mike Trout, praised Moreno and thankful for him of being given a chance to live out his dream. The 35-year-old veteran has been with the Angels for 16 seasons. I praised him for being so loyal to one team, despite their struggles. It's very rare for someone so genuine and humble like Mike Trout to not only appreciate his time with the ballclub, but one of the few players with a positive attitude and kind heart. I gave Trout high praised in my last story about the Angels, because he's one of the few players I like who never had an inflated ego or an entitled attitude. Not once I've seen him lose his temper or raise his voice at anyone. Mike Trout is one of those players who you'd want to be friends with or having a friendly conversation with. I do see him as a hitting coach for the Angels or even a manager someday. I know he's battled injuries over the years, but he's definitely Baseball Hall of Fame worthy. Many of these former players and modern-day players should take notes. This is an example of how a player presents himself. Arte Moreno will still have some involvement with the Angels, but fans and Trout himself are confident for the future of the franchise. They had one Postseason appearance and that was back in 2014. With Kroenke set to take over Moreno's role as Angels owner, winning seasons and the goal of winning World Series titles are their ultimate goals.