2009 record: 97-65, first in AL West
Manager: Mike Scioscia
Key additions: SP Joel Pineiro, DH Hideki Matsui, RP Fernando Rodney
Key losses: SP John Lackey, 3B Chone Figgins, OF/DH Vladimir Guerrero, OF Gary Matthews, SP Kelvim Escobar, RP Darren Oliver, RP Jose Arredondo, RP Shane Loux
Outlook: After the Angels lost young starting pitcher Nick Adenhart in a tragic car accident early last season, they rallied around his memory and stormed to a third straight AL West crown, providing baseball with a host of emotional images along the way.
But it's an image unrelated to the tragic loss, which seemed to signal the club's future more than anything else. When manager Mike Scioscia came to take John Lackey out of Game 5 of the ALCS, ignoring the repeated "This is mine!" statements from his ace, he ushered in a new era for Los Angeles, whether he knew it or not.
Lackey steamed off that mound and marched into the Anaheim sunset, his career as an Angel over. When third baseman Chone Figgins followed him out the door and into free agency, it left only aging reliever Scot Shields as a tie to the 2002 World Series team and may have ended the club's run of division dominance.
L.A. has won the West by an average of more than 12 games the last three years and they are usually a step ahead when the hot stove season begins.
But Lackey signed with the Red Sox, Figgins with the Mariners and slugger Vladimir Guerrero with the Rangers, the latter two going to division rivals and the big right-hander to an annual postseason opponent.
Not only did the Angels lose some key pieces, they watched them go to their enemies.
It's not as if L.A. didn't attempt to fill those gaps, however.
Joel Pineiro joins a very capable rotation, bumping Jered Weaver into Lackey's spot as the No. 1 guy. Highly touted Brandon Wood is expected to be just as capable as Figgins on defense. And new designated hitter Hideki Matsui has averaged nearly 25 home runs and 105 RBIs in his five healthy seasons in the majors; Guerrero averaged 27 homers and 98 RBIs in his five years in Anaheim.
If those fill-ins don't quite do the trick, at least the bullpen should be better. Shields missed most of 2009 with knee issues, opening up a series of auditions for the set-up role that fell flat. Fernando Rodney was signed as insurance in case Shields is still not 100 percent, or to fill in from time to time when the combustible closer Brian Fuentes needs a break.
The 2009 Angels bullpen ranked 11th in the AL with a 4.49 ERA and 13th with an opponent batting average of .270.
The biggest hole to fill may be Figgins' leadoff spot. Shortstop Erick Aybar will get the first chance to win the job, and behind him in the lineup, there is pop in Bobby Abreu, Kendry Morales, Torii Hunter, Juan Rivera and catcher Mike Napoli. Also, and stop us if you've heard this one before, this might be the year that second baseman Howie Kendrick finally puts it all together.
PECOTA projections have Los Angeles finishing last in the West for the first time since 1991. That might be a bit of a stretch, but with strides made by their division opponents and a host of new faces in place of former franchise cornerstones, it's bound to be tighter.
No longer can the Angels look at the AL West and say, "This is mine!"
What it means to the Red Sox: If prognosticators are right, the Red Sox won't have to worry about a rematch with the Angels in October. The clubs have met in each of the last three postseasons and also squared off in the 2004 AL Division Series.
Boston gets a shot at a small dose of revenge for last October's sweep when L.A. comes to Fenway Park for four games in early May.
