This is a picture we need to see at least 16 times this year versus the Astros for the Athletics to repeat as AL West Champs. (Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports)

So as we take this moment to breathe from the daily grind that is the MLB schedule, as the Oakland Athletics prepare to take on the Tampa Bay Rays Friday night, it’s important to note just how important it really is that the Athletics have swept the Astros twice, and are 6-0 against them with 13 games remaining.  Prevailing opinion before the season was that whichever AL West team performed the best against the Astros would have a leg up on taking the division.  Many opinions from local radio personalities stated that the A’s would have to go 16-3 versus the Astros to be able to hold off the Los Angeles Angels and the Texas Rangers for the division title.  I would agree with that notion, utter dominance of the Astros is essential.

The A’s have four more series with the Astros over the course of the season, they’ll head to Houston in May, and again in late July, then the Astros will visit Oakland in August, and the two teams will play a 4 game series in Oakland in September.  So each month except June, the Athletics will get another crack at the Astros.  It may be for just a few games, but if the Athletics are suffering from a losing streak at that time, a visit to or from the Houston Astros might be the perfect antidote to what afflicts them.  Of course every other team in the division will have the same amount of opportunities to win games against the Astros as well.

The key to all of this is the fact that the Astros have now made the rounds in the AL West, but the Athletics are the only team they have not beaten yet.  They beat Texas on Opening Night, they took 2 out of 3 against the Seattle Mariners, and beat the Angels in one game and probably should have taken 2 of 3 if it weren’t for a late surge by LA.  The Athletics didn’t just beat the Astros though, for the most part they have dominated them over the 6 game series.  Oakland has outscored the Astros by a 45-19 margin.

The approach at the plate that the Athletics take is perfect when they oppose a team like the Astros.  Their patience forces the Astros pitchers to give them pitches to hit, which at least so far the Athletics have been hitting very hard.  They get the pitch count up, and the starter out of the game, which brings the weak Astros bullpen into the picture.  There’s not much a team can do when they can’t prevent the opposition from putting the bat on the ball when they want to, and with authority.  That’s what has happened when the Athletics step to the plate versus the Astros pitchers through the first 6 games, and that’s what will have to continue to happen if the Athletics wish to repeat as AL West Champions.

Jul 25, 2012; Toronto, ON, Canada; Oakland Athletics designated hitter Yoenis Cespedes (52) bats against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. The Athletics beat the Blue Jays 16-0. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

The AL West figures to be a three team race between the Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Angels, and Oakland A’s in 2013. The race could become more interesting if the underestimated Seattle Mariners make noise this year as well.With the Astros coming over to the AL West, the division now features five teams and now five different, talented, and highly competitive outfields.

The defending AL West champion A’s boast an incredible amount of depth in the outfield on paper, but how does their depth stack up against the rest of the divsion? Well, the purpose of this post will answer that very question.

Billy Beane is banking on his added depth to carry the A’s back into October baseball this year, but the Nelson Cruz, Mike Trout, Michael Morse, and Justin Maxwell‘s of the division will look to stop Oakland from repeating as division champs.

With that in mind, the A’s will roll out with a trio of Yoenis Cespedes, Coco Crisp, and Josh Reddick in an attempt to defend their division crown. How does Oakland’s trio rank against the rest of the west? Well, let’s take a look:

• Angels: The Angels should, barring any injuries, enter the year with the best outfield group in the AL West. The A’s may have the edge when it comes to depth, but the Halos possess a ton of talent in their outfield with the likes of Trout and newly acquired Josh Hamilton. The Angels will likely roll out with a trio that includes Trout, Peter Bourjos, and Hamilton. Bourjos, 25, is likely the only weak link in the Angels’ outfield, but even he may not be entirely bad. The young outfielder will definitely get his shot in the outfield this year with regular looks at center field, but if he should fail to build upon his .220/.291/.315 performance in 2012, the Angels could look elsewhere for help in center. The guy did, after all, have some mild success in 2011, hitting .271/.327/.438 with 12 HR and 43 RBI. Now with Trout and Hamilton, they come as advertised. Trout was named AL ROY last year for his monstrous performance and Hamilton put up powerful numbers last year as well. The Angels essentially have two guys in their two corner outfield spots who can hit 30 homers and drive in 100 runs. Trout did experience a little bit of a drop-off during the final stretch of the season, but even then he was better than most outfielders in the game. The A’s may have the depth, but when it comes to star-power and household names, the Angels have the edge.
• A’s: The A’s trail right behind the Angels when it comes to best overall outfield. The A’s will roll out with Cespedes, Crisp, and Reddick for their 2013 campaign. The A’s outfield trio will be difficult to ignore this year, especially if Cespedes and Reddick continue making strides in their young major league careers. Cespedes, 27, finished second in AL ROY voting for his .292/.356/.505 performance in 2012. The A’s outfielder managed to collect 23 HR and 82 RBI despite playing in just 129 games due to various injuries. He made adjustments throughout the regular season and many were impressed by how easy Cespedes made the game look at times. He proved he belonged from the moment he stepped into the batters’ box and the A’s $36 million investment looked like a smart one last year. With Cespedes manning left field, the A’s have the Bernie Leaning Crisp in center and Gold Glove winner Reddick out in right field. Crisp should emerge as a clubhouse leader after fellow veterans Brandon McCarthy, Jonny Gomes, Brandon Inge, and Stephen Drew moved on. In addition to his leadership, the A’s center fielder should continue to deliver speed to Oakland’s lineup in ’13. Crisp, 33, led the team in stolen bases with 39 and should be a reliable source for steals again this year. With Reddick, the A’s have an interesting player on their hands. Beane shipped Andrew Bailey and Ryan Sweeney to Boston last year in order to acquire the talented Reddick, but no one saw Reddick‘s 32 HR or 85 RBI coming last year. The deal, in short, was a huge win last year for the A’s and Beane. Reddick‘s offense and tremendous defense helped the green-and-gold capture the division crown last year, but there remains those skeptics who doubt Reddick will be able to produce the type of numbers he did last year. Despite the skeptics, the A’s remain confident that Reddick will only continue making strides in the majors this year. The A’s have plenty of added depth with the likes of Seth Smith and the excellent defender Chris Young just in case, though.
• Rangers: Behind the Angels and A’s are the Rangers. Texas blew the division last year and are still trying to piece together what happened exactly on game 162 of last year. Still, never count out the Rangers. The boys from Arlington will roll out with Murphy, Leonys Martin, and Nelson Cruz in 2013. Murphy, who hit .304/.380/.479 with 15 HR and 61 RBI, remains an underrated player and should remain a reliable player for Texas this year. Cruz, 32, hit .260/.319/.460 with 24 HR and 90 RBI last year. There is a threat of a 50-game suspension for Cruz, who was linked to a clinic that sold performance-enhancing drugs, and so the Rangers could be without his services for a bit. The Rangers are projected to have Martin in center field to open the season with Hamilton now playing in SoCal with the Halos. Manager Ron Washington reportedly likes the idea of starting Martin in center, and the 24-year old Martin will have a lot to prove if he does get the nod to start. Last year in limited action, the young outfielder hit just .174 last year in 46 at-bats. It was early believed that Washington would have Martin in the lineup against righties and Craig Gentry in center when the team faced lefties. Martin’s decent spring start, however, seems to have played a hand in Washington’s recent reversal and faith in Martin’s potential as a starting center fielder. Bottom line, the Rangers, with the possibility of losing Nelson in the form of a suspension, don’t quite stack up against the Angels and A’s in the outfield department. Still, the Rangers figure to be a little better off than the two teams below them..
• Mariners: The Mariners could be a team that surprises a few people this year, much like the A’s did last year during the run at the playoffs. While they won’t capture the division crown or anything like that, the M’s do figure to be at least a little more competitive going forward and aren’t expected to finish in last place now that the Astros have joined the division. The Mariners will feature an outfield that includes the likes of Michael Morse, Franklin Gutierrez, Michael Saunders, and the ever persistent Jason Bay in a reserved role. The Mariners like what they have in Morse, who hit .291/.321/.470 with 18 HR and 62 RBI last year with the Nationals. A return to Seattle is a welcoming one for Morse, but the outfielder must stay healthy if he’s able to provide a spark in Seattle’s lineup. He was limited last year due to injury, but if he’s healthy this year a .300-30 campaign does seem like a possibility. The Mariners would like to see more from Gutierrez, who had his own share of injury problems in 2012. Saunders saw an increase in his power last year, but not many people out there are expecting Saunders to replicate his 2012 numbers this year. He’ll have a spot in Seattle’s revamped lineup, but I’m doubting he’ll be the same offensive player he was last year. Seattle has Bay and Raul Ibanez as potential outfield options as well.
•  Astros: Houston, we have a problem. Sorry, cliche I know, but I couldn’t resist. The Astros enter baseball’s most competitive division this year and that does not bode well for the rebuilding franchise. Houston figures to be competitive in a few years, but until then the Angels, A’s, Rangers, and even Mariners should have their way with the lowly Astros in 2013. The outfield in Houston does not contain the same type of talent found in Anaheim, Oakland, or Arlington unfortunately. Instead, the Astros will likely roll out with an outfield that includes former Athletic Chris Carter, Justin Maxwell, and Fernando Martinez. Houston also has J.D. Martinez in the mix as well. Overall, though, the club’s outfield does not stack up against the rest of the division. Carter, a former top prospect in Oakland’s system, did enjoy a little success last year in a platoon-type role at first base, but it is unknown whether or not that success will carry over to his new team. Maxwell, meanwhile, remains a journeyman of sorts at the age of 29. Maxwell flashed traces of power and provided the team with some decent speed, but for the rebuilding Astros, Maxwell a viable long-term option. Compared to the rest of the division, Houston’s outfield just doesn’t stack up. Perhaps in a few years this will change.

July 6, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros shortstop Jed Lowrie (4) throws a runner out at first against the Milwaukee Brewers in the third inning at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The logic behind the deal appears to be a safety net of sorts, similar I think to the logic behind the deal that brought in Chris Young back in October.  The team appears to be set in pencil around the infield, save for the first base spot which seems all but locked up by Brandon Moss now with Carter out of the way.  I did like the two headed monster last year, so I’m a little sad that we won’t get to see if that can succeed again, but then again I do have an irrational love for Brandon Moss.

Lowrie has been a lot about potential, if he can put it all together, if he can stay healthy (ankle problems), etc… but there’s no doubt he is a talented player and should be an asset to the Athletics in whatever role he’s cast in.  In 2012 he played a career high 97 games and hit .244/.331/.438 with a career high 16 home runs.  He plays primarily shortstop, where Hiroyuki Nakajima seems to be the man for the job at this point, so expect Lowrie to log some serious time at second and third base.  That might be bad news for the many fans of Josh Donaldson in the 510 as his spot is far from guaranteed.

This trade is a sign of two things, the fact that Billy Beane and the A’s brass are really serious about winning in 2013, and that they don’t have as much faith in the existing infielders as one might think.  Jemile Weeks and Scott Sizemore were expected to battle it out in Spring Training for playing time at 2nd base, as Bob Melvin told us just last weekend, but there really didn’t seem to be a challenger for Josh Donaldson at 3rd.  Donaldson was horrifically inept early in the season, and after taking over for the injured Brandon Inge in August he seemed to figure it all out and was a major contributor to the A’s playoff run.  The reality is though that Donaldson isn’t a 23 year old prospect just experiencing some growing pains in the Show, he is a 27 year old who had barely gotten a taste of major league ball prior to 2012.  So the possibility that his hot month or so was a flash in the pan versus a sign of him finally figuring it all out is rather strong.  Lowrie protects against that.

If Donaldson struggles, and Sizemore excels we may also see Lowrie move to 2nd and Sizemore take over the hot corner.  The possibilities right now are very nearly endless.

In losing Chris Carter, the A’s finally gave up on him reaching his once lofty potential.  He had hot streaks, and the ball truly does jump off his bat when he connects, but he would always revert to bad habits at the plate and chase bad pitches he would previously spit on.  I think Houston will be a great place for him to hit, and he’ll get an opportunity without a doubt in Houston.  The A’s had clearly soured on him down the stretch as he barely saw the field, and this trade verifies that notion.

Brad Peacock was thought to be one of the prizes of the Gio Gonzalez trade last year, but struggled mightily with his control and never got going in 2012, surely he’ll compete for a rotation spot with the Astros.  Max Stassi was once thought to be the eventual successor to Kurt Suzuki behind the plate, but his bat never developed and injuries derailed his progress since he was drafted.  He may have new life in the Astros organization now.

The A’s also received Fernando Rodriguez, a 28 year old right handed reliever who hasn’t exactly impressed at the big league level with an extremely high walk rate (4.8/9 innings for his career of 123.1 innings) and an ERA of 4.89.  He’ll likely slide in right next to the likes of Jesse Chavez and Mike Ekstrom on the organizational depth chart.

Billy Beane told Susan Slusser that Nakajima will be the SS, an Lowrie will play all over the infield.  That means exactly what I said earlier, Josh Donaldson, Scott Sizemore, and Jemile Weeks ought not get comfortable.  The price they paid for Lowrie was a bit steep for my taste, but I fully understand the deal so I give it my stamp of approval.  The A’s mean business in 2013 and baseball can’t come soon enough.