The American League West has spent this season drifting into ugly territory, and the standings entering Friday only sharpened the picture. The Astros were in first at 59-57, but they were still sitting on a minus-25 run differential. The Rangers were 1.5 games back at 57-58 with a minus-33 mark, the Mariners were 3 back at 56-60 with a minus-14 differential, and the Athletics and Angels were buried at the bottom with matching 13.5- and 14.5-game deficits.
That’s the kind of division that could end up in the record book for all the wrong reasons. No division in baseball’s current five-team setup has ever finished with every club in the red in run differential. This year’s AL West is on pace to become the first to do it.
The problems are spread everywhere. The Mariners have the best run differential in the group, but even Seattle is underwater, and the club’s offense has cratered around a pitching staff that still ranks respectably.
Josh Naylor has slipped, and Cal Raleigh has not looked anything like the player who drew so much attention with a 60-homer season in 2025. Entering Friday, Raleigh was slugging .308 with a 66 OPS+, had 12 home runs, and was worth minus-0.3 WAR according to Baseball-Reference.
Seattle’s pitching remains solid - only seven teams have a lower ERA - but the offense has been a drag, with the Mariners already shut out 11 times and carrying the third-lowest OPS in baseball.
The Athletics’ issues are a different kind of mess. They have shown some promise offensively, but injuries have hammered the roster, with Shea Langeliers, Nick Kurtz, Brent Rooker and Luis Severino all missing time.
Severino’s absence since late May has been especially damaging for a pitching staff trying to survive in a small, Triple-A ballpark. The A’s own league-worst run differential, minus-157, tells the story on its own.
Texas has not been spared either. Corey Seager has spent three separate stints on the injured list during the club’s first 115 games, while Josh Jung and Wyatt Langford have also been sidelined. Jacob deGrom and Nate Eovaldi have both pitched to ERAs of at least 3.96, a number that would be fine in some settings but not for a team that has struggled to score consistently.
Houston is in first, but only barely, and the underlying numbers are not flattering. Yordan Alvarez has been the bright spot, leading baseball with 35 home runs and standing atop all three AL Triple Crown categories by a wide margin.
If he finishes the job, he would become the first left-handed hitter to win the Triple Crown since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967. But the rest of the lineup has not held up.
Jose Altuve has had a miserable season, Cam Smith has not delivered after arriving in a touted trade, and Carlos Correa’s season-ending ankle injury has further thinned the offense.
The rotation has been a problem too. Dana Brown’s offseason, in which he signed six pitchers who have combined for a 5.67 ERA over 271 2/3 innings, has helped sink a staff that entered Friday with the second-highest ERA in the American League.
Only the Athletics’ rotation has been worse. Brown and manager Joe Espada are both in the final years of their contracts, adding another layer of uncertainty around the club.
The Angels, meanwhile, have stayed stuck in the same place despite a rebound season from Mike Trout. They moved José Soriano, Jo Adell and Ryan Zeferjahn, among others, at the deadline and later released Jorge Soler. Rookie manager Kurt Suzuki is on a one-year deal, and the organization could be headed for more turnover this offseason depending on whether it keeps Suzuki and interim general manager John Mozeliak.
The division’s off-field churn has been just as notable. The Athletics fired longtime general manager David Forst on Friday, and the Angels had already dismissed Perry Minasian in June. Even with the trade deadline passed, the three clubs with a realistic shot at the division - Houston, Texas and Seattle - did little to meaningfully upgrade.
That leaves the AL West exactly where it is: crowded at the top, broken everywhere else, and very much on track to make history. Houston’s upcoming homestand could only widen the gap, with three straight divisional matchups coming against the Mariners, Angels and Athletics.
In Other News...
George Kirby May Have Been Closer To A Mariners Exit Than Fans Knew
George Kirby stayed put when the MLB trade deadline passed, but ESPNs reporting suggests his name was part of a wider market conversation even if Mariners fans never saw it play out in real time. Detroits talks on Tarik Skubal were shaped in part by the possibility that if those negotiations dragged, other clubs might redirect their attention toward Kirby, whose appeal is obvious to any front office hunting for a frontline starter.
For Seattle, the important part is simple: Kirby is still in the rotation, and the Mariners kept one of their most valuable arms rather than turning a deadline debate into a roster shakeup. The reporting also underscores why he drew such attention in the first place, with his age, affordability and long runway of team control making him exactly the kind of pitcher rival clubs would monitor if the market for an ace started to move. [Read more 🡒]
Jerry Dipoto Faces New Heat As Mariners Questions Keep Growing
David Forsts dismissal in Oakland has only sharpened the spotlight on baseball operations around the division, and it inevitably turns the conversation back to Jerry Dipoto in Seattle. Forst spent 27 years with the Athletics and 11 seasons as general manager before being let go, with assistant GM Dan Feinstein now overseeing baseball operations while the club searches for a replacement.
For the Mariners, the comparison is hard to miss because the questions around Dipoto have only grown as the team has continued to struggle on the field. Seattle has built its recent identity around patience and process, but results have a way of changing the temperature fast, and another front-office reset in the AL West only adds to the scrutiny on a group already under pressure to show progress. [Read more 🡒]
Rick Rizzs Finally Gets A Place In Mariners History
Rick Rizzs has been part of the Mariners soundtrack for so long that it is hard to imagine the franchise without him. Now, the team is formally giving him a place in its history, announcing that the longtime broadcaster will be inducted into the Mariners Hall of Fame next season. He will become the 12th member and one of only two non-uniformed inductees, joining Dave Niehaus in that distinction.
Rizzs has been connected to the organization for 41 years and has served as the lead radio voice since 2011, but his impact has gone well beyond the booth. Through his Toys for Kids charity, he has also been a familiar presence in the community. The Mariners have not yet announced when the ceremony will take place or what it will look like, leaving one more chapter in a fitting honor still to come. [Read more 🡒]