AL West

Could the Mariners be making a play towards Miami Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton?

With fewer than 100 days remaining until opening day 2013, the Seattle Mariners still seem to be looking for ways to improve their team.

After trading for Kendrys Morales just before Christmas, rumors began swirling about whether the Mariners would deal their young first baseman Justin Smoak.

With the New Year almost upon us, the Seattle Mariners have yet to truly make the splash that most of the baseball world expected them to this offseason. General manager Jack Zduriencik has been turning over every stone in an effort to find an answer for the lack of offensive production that has plagued the Mariners for years.

Last year, the Oakland A's went on a run for the ages, and they almost snuck into the ALCS.

The A's won their last six regular season games to stunningly capture the AL West, before rallying from down 2-0 to force Game 5 of the ALDS. They lost Game 5, but it let Oakland experience a run for the ages.

The Rangers' offseason has pretty much been universally labeled as a big whiff. Some have even gone as far as saying it is the worst in franchise history—although that is still debatable.

What is certain is that all the big-name free agents have been snatched up by other teams, leaving the front office with a lot of blank checks.

Basically, there is a lot of subtraction and little addition to the roster that won 90-plus games these last three seasons.

There are always questions with the Seattle Mariners.

While other teams are readying for playoff runs in 2013, the Mariners faithful are left to wonder if their team will be competitive. After the weak hitting of the last few years, just being relevant would be nice.

Seattle missed out on Josh Hamilton, but moves are being made. Kendrys Morales is a solid addition, and perhaps Jason Bay will rediscover his power stroke with the Mariners.

Raul Ibanez is 40 years old, but apparently the Seattle Mariners still believe that the left-handed power-hitter can contribute.

Ibanez appeared in 130 games for the New York Yankees in 2012. He faced right-hand pitching almost exclusively in that time.

Justin Smoak's days with the Seattle Mariners may be numbered.

The Rangers need Yu Darvish to be their “ace” in 2013, but is that something he is capable of shouldering at this point?

Is there ever a season where the Oakland Athletics’ farm system isn’t absolutely loaded? Headed into the 2012 season, power-hitting outfielder Michael Choice ranked as the team’s top prospect and was beginning to heat up when a hit-by-pitch resulted in a broken hand after the All-Star break.