Los Angeles Angels Tickets

2009 Los Angeles Angels Season Outlook It was a quiet offseason for the Los Angeles Angels despite the fact they came up short yet again in the postseason.

The Angels attempted to re-sign first baseman Mark Teixeira, but he was much more interested in returning closer to home on the East Coast.

Trading for Teixeira in the middle of last season turned out to be a huge mistake, as the team gave up first basmean Casey Kotchman to get the All-Star. Now the team will have to turn to Kendry Morales and hope he can become a solid, everyday first baseman.

Los Angeles also lost closer Francisco Rodriguez, although it didn't exactly come as a surprise. Rodriguez had steep contract demands after breaking the record for most saves in a season, and the Angels were weary of re-signing him for so much money.

They eventually did sign outfielder Bobby Abreu to a one-year contract worth just $5 million, which should prove to be a real bargain. Abreu isn't quite the player he once was, but he still has decent power and a great batting eye.

One key for the Angels will be the health of outfielder Vladamir Guerrero, who has struggled stay on the field the past couple of seasons. Vlad is probably past his prime at this point and his body tends to break down, so they might look to give him more time as the designated hitter.

Los Angeles is starting to get older at several positions on the diamond, but they do have a lot of young talent on the cusp of the major leagues. They need to find out whether guys like Brandon Wood can cut it at the big league level.

The strength of the Angels lies in their starting rotation led by ace John Lackey. He was hurt at the beginning of last year but rebounded to have a productive season.

Ervin Santana showed steady improvement last year and is now counted on to be one of their top pitchers. Troy Saunders was surprisingly effective and actually in the Cy Young award talk at one point during the year.

The Angels are once again the favorites to take the American League West crown, but an offseason of inactivity has allowed the Oakland Athletics to make up a lot of ground.