AL West

It wasn't long ago that Jurickson Profar looked like the future of the Texas Rangers. 

But now, you suddenly have to wonder if he even has a future with the Rangers.

Let's be honest. None of us will be shocked if a surprise playoff contender emerges in the 2015 MLB season. In this two-wild-card, high-revenue era, it's the sort of thing that's bound to happen.

Barry Zito and the Oakland Athletics are reuniting. 

The team announced Zito has been signed to a minor league deal: 

Oakland Athletics' FanFest is in the books, which means the next big event is the beginning of spring training.

It's been a hectic offseason, so whether you've lived under a rock or paid full attention, you'll probably need a refresher course regardless.

The team made plenty of additions. That, of course, was to fill the myriad losses. Oakland made some coaching changes. The farm system has been shaken up. All in all, the A's have changed—big time.

After an exciting winter, the Seattle Mariners are nearly ready to begin the 2015 season.

Pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 20 to officially start spring training. Coming off of an encouraging 87-75 season and bolstered by some key offseason acquisitions, Seattle appears to be in its best shape to compete for the postseason in a number of years.

Rickie Weeks had a rough 2014 season. With a slew of injuries slowing him down and his production declining over the past two years, Weeks found himself behind youngster Scooter Gennett on the depth chart. He'll have the opportunity to resurrect his career with the Seattle Mariners, however, after signing with the team. 

With the MLB offseason winding down, most teams around the league have a solid idea of what their 25-man rosters will look like come Opening Day.

Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane has had the busiest offseason of any GM, making nine trades involving 27 players in total. His most recent deal, swapping shortstop Yunel Escobar for Washington Nationals relief pitcher Tyler

• AL West
• Baseball
• MLB
• Oakland Athletics
• Opinion
• Tyler Clippard
• Yunel Escobar