AL West rotation ranking after Rangers land MacKenzie Gore: Mariners have competition

Seemingly out of nowhere, the Texas Rangers swooped in and won the MacKenzie Gore sweepstakes, giving them a rotation trio that can compete with anyone's. The Rangers were limited in what they could do to improve their roster, with not much money to spend, but Gore, an uber-talented left-handed starter, drastically improves their ceiling.

They gave up a lot, but by acquiring Gore, the Rangers have built one of the best rotations in the AL West. Just how good is that staff, though? Let's dive in and see how they rank against their division rivals.

Ranking the best starting pitching in the AL West

5. Athletics

To be clear, I love what the Athletics are doing with their position player group. They should be one of the best offensive teams in the American League this season and beyond. I cannot say the same about this rotation at all, though.

Luis Severino, the ace of the staff, did pitch well on the road in his first season with the A's (3.02 ERA in 14 starts) but struggled mightily at home (6.01 ERA) and was vocal about how tough it was to pitch at Sutter Health Park, a minor league stadium. Who knows what to expect from him or Jeffrey Springs (4.81 home ERA)?

The rest of the rotation consists of young arms with some upside. Luis Morales pitched well for the A's down the stretch last season, but he made just 10 appearances. Jacob Lopez looks to be a decent back-end arm, but he, too, has limited experience. Luis Medina didn't pitch in 2025 after undergoing Tommy John surgery and has an ERA over 5.00 in his big league career. Perhaps the veterans can figure out how to pitch at home or the young guys take leaps, but barring that, the A's have the worst rotation in this division.

4. Los Angeles Angels

This Los Angeles Angels rotation features a ton of pitchers who were once highly touted and are now mediocre to below-average. Yusei Kikuchi was an All-Star last season and can eat innings, but he's not exactly a legitimate ace. Jose Soriano throws hard and generates a ton of ground balls, but the infield defense behind him isn't great, and he had a 4.26 ERA last season.

How Reid Detmers does after a successful year pitching out of the bullpen will be fascinating. He's always had great stuff, but he's also been remarkably inconsistent in the rotation in his career. Grayson Rodriguez has the most upside of anyone in this staff, but does anyone believe he'll stay healthy? Who even knows what to expect out of Alek Manoah anymore?

There are a lot of ifs in this rotation. If it were 2022, this rotation would be among the most exciting in the American League. It isn't, though, and it's hard to expect much from this group.

3. Houston Astros

The best pitcher in the AL West resides in the Houston Astros' rotation. Hunter Brown is a superstar, and if it weren't for Tarik Skubal and Garrett Crochet, he'd be arguably the best pitcher in the American League. With that being said, the rotation behind him leaves a lot to be desired.

Just how good is Tatsuya Imai? His contract says the league is unsure about how he'll translate to the majors. If he pitches well, the Astros will be in good shape. If not, there're a ton of question marks. Can either Cristian Javier or Lance McCullers Jr. stay healthy? Was Mike Burrows' 2025 breakout legitimate? Can Ryan Weiss earn a rotation spot after a successful multi-year stint in the KBO?

It's never good to not fully trust five of the six starters in a projected rotation. Again, Brown is great, but I have no idea what to expect from the others. Brown alone makes this rotation better than that of the Angels and Athletics, but they're closer to the back of the pack than the front right now.

2. Texas Rangers

I absolutely love the top three of this rotation. Jacob deGrom remains one of the best pitchers in baseball. Nathan Eovaldi underratedly had a sub-2.00 ERA in 22 starts last season. MacKenzie Gore has All-Star upside and could be one of the best No. 3 starters in the game. There are concerns worth covering, though.

Both deGrom and Eovaldi have substantial injury histories. Can either of them stay healthy for a full season? Can Gore shake off his second-half struggles and be productive from start to finish? Can Jack Leiter replicate his breakout year? Can Kumar Rocker be a serviceable starter?

The ceiling of this rotation is the best in the AL West and potentially the majors. That's how talented this group is. The floor, though, prevents it from being considered the best in the division.

1. Seattle Mariners

There honestly is no shame in ranking just behind the Seattle Mariners in a rotation ranking. The Mariners have had one of the best starting staffs in the sport for a while now, and that should continue to be the case in 2026.

Bryan Woo pitched at least six innings in 27 of his 30 starts last season, and if he didn't leave one of his starts due to injury, he probably would've done it in 28 of 30. He's as consistent as it gets, and is seemingly only getting better. Logan Gilbert finished sixth in the AL Cy Young balloting in 2024 and would've gotten Cy Young votes last season, too, had he stayed healthy all year. George Kirby's command is as good as it gets.

I do question how good Luis Castillo is away from pitcher-friendly T-Mobile Park, and Bryce Miller has a lot to prove after a down year, but there's a good chance this rotation will have multiple All-Stars and a couple of guys who just miss out on the festivities. This rotation is that good, and should lead Seattle back to the playoffs.

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