Winter Meetings AL West preview: Chapman fit for Astros, Angels active?

Houston Astros

Ever since the Astros apparently tried and failed to land an elite relief pitcher this past July, everyone has been waiting for the offseason for them to try again. Craig Kimbrel is off the board after the Red Sox acquired him from the Padres, but that leaves several others -- notably Reds left-hander Aroldis Chapman -- for the 'Stros to covet. The Reds are said to be open for business, and the Astros have a lot of depth in prospects to facilitate a trade. If the Astros can't land a hard-throwing closer, they could keep Luke Gregerson there and add a setup man. Free agent Ryan Madson probably would take an investment of $15 million over three years. They also want left-hander Tony Sipp to return, but he's on the free-agent market and might get an offer from someone else that's too rich for the Astros.

Brian McTaggart of MLB.com says the Astros also are looking for more starting pitching, with left-hander Scott Kazmir subject to a relatively huge free-agent offer. They have Vincent Velasquez and Michael Feliz to trade, possibly, for someone with more experience. Mike Leake also is a free agent they've been talking about.

Houston's top first baseman right now appears to be prospect Jonathan Singleton, who has strong minor-league numbers but is batting just .171 with a .290 on-base and .331 slugging percentage in 420 plate appearances in the bigs. Chris Carter was non-tendered after a poor year overall that ended with a big flourish. Was that just a hot streak, or had something clicked that could be sustained?

Los Angeles Angels

The ability of the Angels to make a big move at the meetings depends on one of two issues: One, the ability to trade away a high-salaried player for a financial gain. Two, the willingness of owner Arte Moreno to take the club past the luxury tax threshold, which the Angels haven't done since 2004 when outfielder Garret Anderson signed a contract extension.

Set with Mike Trout in center and Kole Calhoun in right, the Angels need a left fielder, and the best ones in free agency are expected to command at least $20 million a season. New general manager Billy Eppler, who already has traded for shortstop Andrelton Simmons and signed catcher Geovany Soto, sounds optimistic that Moreno would pay the tax for the right player. That means the likes of Jason Heyward, Yoenis Cespedes, Justin Upton, Chris Davis and Alex Gordon could be in play.

The Angels also are working on bringing back free-agent third baseman David Freese, with Kaleb Cowart and Kyle Kubitza the top options right now if the bid fails. The Angels' starting pitching figures to be better in 2016 with Garrett Richards and C.J. Wilson expected to be healthy from Day 1 of spring training. The Angels actually have enough starting pitching that they could consider trading some of it -- possibly for a left fielder or third baseman if they don't like how the depth chart shakes out otherwise.

Oakland Athletics

The A's have been busy already, signing free-agent left-hander Rich Hill and trading for infielders Jed Lowrie and Yonder Alonso, along with right-hander Liam Hendriks and Marc Rzepczynski, in three separate deals. The addition of Lowrie makes Brett Lawrie and Danny Valencia available in trades, and the A's are interested in adding more pitching, having moved Drew Pomeranz and lost Dan Otero, Pat Venditte, Fernando Abad, and Edward Mujica. The White Sox are said to be a possible match for Lawrie because of a gaping hole at third base and a surplus of relievers.

In addition to trading from depth, they could return to the free-agent market. The A's are said to be after right-hander Ryan Madson, who performed well with the Royals coming off three injured seasons. He is said to be seeking something like a three-year, $15 million deal.

The A's also reportedly are eyeing a free-agent outfielder from Korea named Kim Hyun-Soo, reports Joe Stiglich of CSN Bay Area. At 27 years old, he hit 28 home runs for Doosan of the KBO in 2015. He's an international free agent, so there's no posting fees or bidding involved.

Seattle Mariners

New general manager Jerry Dipoto has been one of the busiest executives this offseason, already completing six trades that brought in nine players and sent away 12. The Mariners have signed four free agents and claimed three more players off waivers, seriously giving the roster left behind by ex-GM Jack Zduriencik a new look.

With outfield, catcher and the back-end of the bullpen addressed, they still need starting pitching -- despite the addition of right-hander Nathan Karns in a deal with Tampa Bay. And their first-base depth chart reads: Jesus Montero, Steve Clevenger and Andy Wilkins. Seattle won't be a player for Chris Davis, who is expected to command a deal north of $150 million in free agency, writes Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News-Tribune. Perhaps sluggers such as Mike Napoli, Justin Morneau or Garrett Jones would be right for the M's in a platoon.

The Mariners could bolster their starting pitching depth by bringing back right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma, who is among the middle-tier free agents available in free agency. Dipoto calls him a priority. With the Dodgers and Cardinals a little closer to desperate having lost on the likes of David Price, Jeff Samardzija and others, Dipoto might have to go to three years on a contract in order to make it happen with Iwakuma.

Texas Rangers

General manager Jon Daniels did a bang-up job giving new field manager Jeff Banister the right pieces to get the Rangers back in the playoffs in 2015. With slugger Josh Hamilton and left-hander Cole Hamels added to the roster in midseason, Texas probably won't be in position to add any big-names in free agency. In fact, they might have to make some moves -- such as trading Mitch Moreland -- in order to have the financial flexibility to bring back their own free agents, such as Mike Napoli. They'd like to move one of their own big-salaried players in order to have real room to make changes, but will anyone take Elvis Andrus or Shin-Soo Choo?

Right-handers Yovani Gallardo and Colby Lewis also are free agents -- they were 40 percent of the starting rotation in '15 -- and it's unlikely they'll both be back with Yu Darvish set to return from Tommy John soon. They've added Tom Wilhelmsen to the back of the bullpen, too, but they still lack depth in the outfield and catcher. They might be looking at Rajai Davis, Steve Pearce and Jonny Gomes to work in tandem in left field with Hamilton.