The AL West had one of the most active offseasons of any division in Major League Baseball. Every team added a notable piece whether it was versatility in the field or pitching help in the rotation. In fact, all five teams’ most notable offseason addition came via the trade market. Let’s take a look at those moves in the AL West.
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*Additions that are projected to be on the major league roster on Opening Day
AL West Notable Offseason Additions
Atheletics – Jeff McNeil
The Athletics have some good young pieces on offense and now add a veteran to the group via Jeff McNeil in a trade with the New York Mets back in December. In return, the A’s sent minor league pitcher Yordan Rodriguez. The Mets also sent over $5.75M to help with McNeil’s contract, which is one year at $17.75M.
McNeil is versatile, playing all three outfield spots in 2025 while also playing at second, which was a position of need for the Athletics coming into the season. He’s shown to be a respectable glove at all of those positions. The A’s lineup should be their strong suit this season, headlined by the likes of Nick Kurtz, Jacob Wilson and Brent Rooker. Now, McNeil comes in adding some experience to the lineup, winning a batting title in 2022 and having a career batting average of .284, while still being one of the best contact hitters in the sport. While this might not be the rotation upgrade everyone was hoping for, getting McNeil is a solid consolation prize for this young lineup.
Houston Astros – Tatsuya Imai
Starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai was coveted coming out of Japan and the Houston Astros jumped all over it with a three-year, $54M deal with player opt-outs after the 2026 and 2027 season. The Astros desperately needed this to reinforce the rotation with their expected loss of Framber Valdez, who signed with the Detroit Tigers soon after. The overall success of this rotation has a lot to do with the performance of Imai.
Hunter Brown leads the rotation, but the Astros are banking on others to improve or help stabilize it. Imai is 27 and has been an ace over in Japan. Over his eight seasons, he’s pitched to a 3.15 ERA with 907 strikeouts in 963.2 innings. He’s really turned it on over the last three years, garnering an ERA of under three in each season. 2025 in Japan was Imai’s best yet, when he went 10-5 with a 1.92 ERA and 178 strikeouts in 163.2 innings. If he can carry his performance over to Major League Baseball or even close to it, the Astros will be in a much better spot on the pitching side.
Los Angeles Angels – Grayson Rodriguez
One of the first moves of the offseason was made by the Los Angeles Angels as they traded outfielder Taylor Ward to the Baltimore Orioles for starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez. Ward is coming off the best year of his career, as he had 36 home runs and 103 RBI. Trading someone like that might be a head-scratcher, but his performance netted a young cost-controlled pitcher.
Rodriguez is 26 and has high upside potential in this Angels rotation. The only thing that has held him back is injury. He missed all of last season after undergoing debridement surgery on his right elbow to remove bone spurs. Rodriguez also missed time in 2024 with a lat strain and with right shoulder inflammation. He said he believes that his injuries have been related to bone spurs that he’s been dealing with for a few years now but he’s expected to be ready for the season and put it all behind him. If he can stay healthy, he has the arm talent and execution to be a top-end starter.
Seattle Mariners – Brendan Donovan
Trading for Brendan Donovan was not only the best move of the offseason in the AL West but it was one of the best moves of the offseason in all of baseball. The Seattle Mariners might be in a better position to make their first World Series appearance in franchise history because of this trade. The Mariners acquired him from the St. Louis Cardinals for a trio of prospects and a Competitive Balance Round B draft pick in 2026. The Tampa Bay Rays were also a part of the trade and got Ben Williamson from the Mariners.
Seattle gave up a nice package, but it was worth it for a player like Donovan. He is a high-IQ player with offensive talent and defensive versatility. His consistency on both sides is very valuable in today’s game. In his four seasons with St. Louis, Dovovan had a slash line of .282/.361/.422 and an OPS of .772. He won the Gold Glove in 2022 as a utility player and then made the All-Star game in 2025. Donovan is a very good player who might be one of the most underappreciated players in the game. The Mariners got a good one.
Texas Rangers – MacKenzie Gore
The Texas Rangers getting MacKenzie Gore was another notable trade in the AL West. He was acquired from the Washington Nationals for multiple prospects. He makes one of the best rotations in baseball even stronger, pairing with Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi. The Rangers’ rotation ranked first in ERA last season so trading for Gore was a great move.
Although Gore’s numbers aren’t eye-popping, many believe his high-upside talent wasn’t being brought out in Washington. With the Rangers’ rotation performance from a year ago, this could be a perfect place to get everything they need out of Gore. He’s just 27 years old and still has room to grow as a starting pitcher. If everything goes right, Gore’s talent could be brought right out in 2026.
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