AL West

The Los Angeles Angels made a potentially big move for their future Tuesday by signing promising Cuban prospect Roberto Baldoquin.     

According to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com, the Angels reportedly inked the 20-year-old middle infielder to a deal that includes an $8 million signing bonus:

Awful baseball teams tend to deal away veteran talent. Such is common practice in Major League Baseball.

The Seattle Mariners, until recently, fit the bill of one of those awful baseball teams. Only twice did they surpass the 75-win plateau from 2004 to 2013. The M’s, like any other dreadful team in their situation, dealt away most players of worth. Out the door went Cliff Lee, Michael Morse, Ichiro Suzuki, et al.

Prior to a year in which they are expected to contend, the Seattle Mariners have a few key decisions to make during the offseason.

Seattle finds itself in the rare position of trying to win now rather than building toward the future. The last two times the Mariners were coming off a winning season (2007 and 2009), they made disastrous signings and trades that resulted in poor records the following year.

The 2014 postseason was supposed to be Mike Trout's coming-out party. It was his chance to shine on the big stage and solidify his status among baseball's immortal talents.

It isn't over yet, but so far things aren't going swimmingly.

Despite falling just short of making the postseason, the Seattle Mariners had an exciting 2014 season.

The Mariners were in contention for the AL Wild Card until Game 162 of the year and were relevant well into September for the first time in several seasons. The wild-card race provided several thrilling moments for a fanbase that hasn't had much to cheer for in quite some time.

Despite a 22-33 record over the past two months as well as injuries and inconsistency, the Oakland Athletics secured the second American League wild-card spot in the season’s final game.

A disappointing 4-7 road trip has left the Seattle Mariners on the brink of playoff elimination.

My mama always told me, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." Well, if you go by that philosophy, there hasn't been much to say about the Oakland A's over the past two months.

Los Angeles Angels pitcher Matt Shoemaker, who is hoping to return from an oblique injury for the playoffs, set a franchise rookie record in recording 16 wins this season, per MLB Stat of the Day. The previous record of 14 was held by Dean Chance (1962), Marcelino Lopez (1965) and Frank Tanana (1974).

The Seattle Mariners had several prospects make their major league debuts in 2014, with a few of them going on to be important contributors on a contending ballclub.