AL West

Last season, manager Ron Washington went with Colby Lewis as the Texas Rangers' Opening Day starter. This coming season, the decision has to be between Matt Harrison and Yu Darvish. 

Both pitchers had stellar seasons in 2012, and, as a result, both players have made a strong case to toe the rubber on Opening Day in 2013. 

With Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post reporting that the Washington Nationals have reached an agreement to bring back free-agent first baseman Adam LaRoche, it feels like an appropriate time to speculate what the team's next m

As of now, the bulk of the MLB offseason activity is complete. The majority of the major free agents have signed. And if a blockbuster trade was going to take place, chances are it would have happened by now.

Five weeks remain between now and some of the most optimistic words in baseball:

"Pitchers and catchers report."

Before then, there are some things that still need to sort themselves out. While most of the MLB offseason is over, these storylines still need some sort of resolution.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports is reporting that the Texas Rangers will sign free agent Lance Berkman to a one-year deal, which may include a vesting option. Berkman had been leaning toward retirement, but this deal signals an apparent change of heart.

With the clock ticking down to the beginning of Spring Training, General Manager Jack Zduriencik and the Seattle Mariners continue to search high and low for ways to improve their roster.

The Texas Rangers have been in the market for an impact bat all offseason. They have been in discussions with the Arizona Diamondbacks regarding Justin Upton for what appears to be months now. As the months go by, Arizona continues to flip-flop on trading Upton.

The Seattle Mariners should not trade for Andre Ethier of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Rumors continue to circulate that the two teams are talking, including a recent tweet from Mike Petriello of ESPN.

The Houston Astros will open the regular season at home on March 31st, hosting the Texas Rangers on Sunday Night Baseball.

In 2013, the Houston Astros will leave the National League Central division after two years of negotiations. They will switch instead to the American League West, with this switch balancing the number of teams in each league. 

The Seattle Mariners need more offensive production if they are going to compete in the American League West.

What was anticipated as being a big offseason for the Seattle Mariners has been anything but. To this point, Seattle has re-signed pitchers Oliver Pérez and Hisashi Iwakuma, traded for Robert Andino and Kendrys Morales, and signed free-agent outfielders Jason Bay and Raúl Ibañez.