AL West 2026 Division Preview

Published March 25, 2026

AL West

Houston

Seattle

Texas

LA Angels

Athletics

Spring training is always an interesting time for evaluating pitching, and especially relief pitching. Roles are blurry: some relievers get a shot at a starter role, the opposite is sometimes true with struggling starters moving to relief roles, and non-roster invitees are in the mix as well. Combine that with limited outings, low stress situations, and an overall small sample size and you can end up with some wild results on paper.

Despite all that, we're here to give you a quick breakdown of each division with regard to what their bullpens will likely look like and how they stack up.

Houston Astros

Houston's bullpen enters 2026 as arguably the best in the AL West and one of the strongest in all of baseball. Josh Hader is the anchor, a shutdown lefty that helped the Astros record the fewest blown saves in the majors (15) last season.

The setup corps is equally impressive. Bryan Abreu has evolved into one of the premier non-closer relievers in baseball with over 100 strikeouts in 71 innings last year. Bryan King complements him with a staggering strikeout-to-walk ratio (69 K against only 11 BB over 68 innings).

Returning options Steven Okert and Bennett Sousa both posted sub-3.10 ERAs, and A.J. Blubaugh was outstanding in his debut season, featuring mid-to-high-90s velocity with a sweeper and changeup.

The most interesting addition is Ryan Weiss, who returned from a dominant stint in Korea's KBO league. Weiss lost the fifth rotation spot after one rough final spring outing wiped out an otherwise stellar exhibition, and he'll work as a long reliever.

Enyel De Los Santos, Roddery Muñoz, and Kai-Wei Teng are the remaining right handers in the rotation.

Seattle Mariners

The Mariners' bullpen core was essentially set before camp opened. Six of eight spots were already spoken for: Andrés Muñoz, Matt Brash, Gabe Speier, Jose Ferrer, Eduard Bazardo, and Carlos Vargas. All are either too good to option or out of options entirely, which made the bullpen's identity clear from the start, and also created a unique problem.

The final two spots went to Casey Legumina and Cooper Criswell (acquired from the Mets). Legumina's 2025 numbers weren't pretty (5.62 ERA), but he throws hard and has a quality slider, and the Mariners chose to keep him rather than risk losing him on waivers. Criswell will handle long relief and swing duties, while Emerson Hancock was built up as a starter to fill in for Bryce Miller in the rotation.

The elephant in the room: roster flexibility. Every member of the bullpen is either out of options or cannot be sent down, meaning any roster move requires a DFA and the risk of losing someone. It's a significant structural constraint that will test the front office's creativity over 162 games.

Texas Rangers

The Rangers' bullpen is less about star power and more about structural flexibility. Manager Skip Schumaker has indicated that Robert Garcia and Chris Martin will share early save opportunities, creating a co-closer dynamic rather than a single defined ninth-inning arm.

The feel-good story of camp was Carter Baumler, a Rule 5 pick who earned his roster spot after a strong spring. Schumaker delivered the news during a mound visit, making for one of those memorable baseball moments.

Jalen Beeks was signed shortly before the season to give the Rangers a veteran left-handed option they were lacking. Jacob Latz, who lost the fifth-starter competition, slides into the bullpen to provide additional depth.

Tyler Alexander, Jakob Junis, and Cole Winn fill the middle-innings roles. Josh Sborz, a non-roster invitee, has been effective in camp and could join the team soon.

The rotation of Nathan Eovaldi, Jacob deGrom, MacKenzie Gore, Jack Leiter, and Kumar Rocker is loaded with upside and should limit bullpen workload.

Los Angeles Angels

The Angels poured resources into remaking their bullpen after last year's unit regularly blew leads before closer Kenley Jansen (now with Detroit) could even enter the game. The headlining additions are Kirby Yates (expected high-leverage/closer role), Jordan Romano (back-end reliever coming off a rough 2025), and Drew Pomeranz (veteran left-hander for depth). Robert Stephenson is another high-value arm, though he's still recovering from a 2025 injury.

Complicating things: Yates is managing knee inflammation and was moved to the IL this morning, and Ben Joyce is also injured, meaning two key arms may not be available at full strength early. Sam Bachman impressed in spring and is in the conversation for high-leverage work. Joey Lucchesi and Chase Silseth provide multi-inning options.

One of the smarter under-the-radar moves was signing Brent Suter for $1.25 million. He can cover multiple innings, limits walks, and brings a career 3.57 ERA across nearly 600 innings.

Oakland Athletics

The A's enter the season with one of the least proven bullpens in baseball and no defined closer. Scott Barlow has closer experience but hasn't been an elite ninth-inning option in four years. Mark Leiter Jr. brings setup experience but has a lackluster ERA dating back to the start of 2024. They're the only two relievers in the group with meaningful late-inning track records.

The most intriguing arm is Luis Medina, who made the roster because he's out of minor league options despite a 7.36 spring ERA and nine walks in 7.1 innings.

J.T. Ginn also earned a spot despite a rough spring, and profiles as a multi-inning option given his starting background. Hogan Harris (the lone left-hander), Justin Sterner, Michael Kelly, and Elvis Alvarado round out the group.

Only three members of the bullpen can't be optioned (Barlow, Leiter, Medina), giving manager Mark Kotsay maximum flexibility to cycle arms from Triple-A throughout the season.

— InsidethePen Staff