Spring training is here and there will be plenty of starting jobs on the line, some of which will have significant fantasy implications. So far I've tackled the AL East and AL Central and Erik Siegrist has covered the NL East and NL Central. Next up is the AL West.

Editor's note: the number in parenthesis is the player's NFBC ADP since 2/1

AL West Battles

Houston Astros

Left Field/Right Field: Cam Smith (ADP 375), Zach Cole (ADP 599), Joey Loperfido (ADP 673)

Dana Brown was sick the day they taught roster construction at GM School, leaving the Astros with too many infielders and not enough outfielders.

Smith has to earn the right field job after being surprisingly good defensively and surprisingly bad offensively in his rookie season. His primary competition is Loperfido, who was re-acquired from the Blue Jays at the start of camp for Jesus Sanchez. Loperfido will also look to push Cole for the left field gig. The Astros have also stopped short of locking Jake Meyers into the center field spot, but it's difficult to envision anyone but him starting there Opening Day.

Putting Yordan Alvarez or Jose Altuve in left field would help clear a path to playing time for Isaac Paredes, but the Astros plan to keep those two at designated hitter and second base most days. Alvarez has said that he wants to play the outfield, but Houston is convinced that keeping the slugger at DH most of the time will give him a better chance to stay healthy. The Astros could still very well make at least one outside addition here, but for now, this is what they have.

Fifth Starter/Sixth Starter: Spencer Arrighetti (ADP 498), Ryan Weiss (ADP 645), AJ Blubaugh (ADP 700), Lance McCullers (ADP 704), Jason Alexander (ADP 749), Peter Lambert (NR)

At least at the beginning of the season, the Astros will keep Tatsuya Imai on the six-day schedule he was used to in Japan, which means they'll be operating with a six-man rotation. Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier and Mike Burrows are locked into spots along with Imai, leaving two more up for grabs.

The two favorites to snatch up those spots are Arrighetti and McCullers. Arrighetti displayed plenty of bat-missing upside in 2024 as a rookie, but he was limited to only seven starts with the big club in 2025 due to a fractured thumb and later an elbow injury. He's healthy now and would have to pitch very poorly this spring in order to not break camp as part of the rotation. Speaking of "healthy now," McCullers is for the time being. He is set to make $17.7 million in 2026 in the final year of his contract, and that salary points to him getting another shot in the rotation as long as he's not on the injured list. McCullers' performance in 2025 didn't inspire much optimism, however, as his velocity and strikeouts were down and his walks, and the quality of contact against him, were up.

Alexander rode a quality changeup to a 3.66 ERA last season for Houston, but the 33-year-old's peripherals and track record suggest he can't be trusted. Weiss signed with the Astros after starring in Korea the last two years, and Blubaugh pitched really well in his limited opportunities with the big club last season. They will both be needed at some point but could head to the bullpen or Triple-A Sugar Land initially.

Los Angeles Angels

Second Base: Christian Moore (ADP 557), Vaughn Grissom (ADP 698), Adam Frazier (ADP 744), Oswald Peraza (ADP 749), Kyren Paris (ADP 751), Chris Taylor (NR)

The Angels will not just hand Moore the second base job after he mostly struggled in a 53-game stint with the big club last season, but he would have to really fall flat on his face to not emerge here. Moore did pop seven home runs across 184 plate appearances and had a walk rate of 10.3 percent last season, but he also struck out at a 33.7 percent clip and batted under .200.

Grissom and Peraza are both former top prospects that are out of minor-league options, but they seem likelier to fill utility roles than overtake Moore for reps at the keystone. Frazier and Taylor are in camp as non-roster invitees and give new manager Kurt Suzuki more experienced alternatives. Paris was a popular waiver-wire target early on last season after he got off to a ridiculous start at the plate, but he flamed out quickly.

Fifth Starter: Alek Manoah (ADP 666), George Klassen (ADP 725), Caden Dana (ADP 748), Victor Mederos (ADP 751), Jack Kochanowicz (NR), Mitch Farris (NR)

The Angels took a flier this offseason on Manoah, who has been plagued by injuries and ineffectiveness the last three seasons since his All-Star showing in 2022. It's a perfectly fine roll of the dice considering the modest $1.95 million investment, and Manoah should be the favorite to win the final spot in the rotation. He's managed to toss five scoreless frames in his first two starts this spring, but a 1:3 K:BB and velocity sitting in the low 90s isn't encouraging.

Klassen shows electric stuff when he's on, but he's not on the 40-man roster and has just one start under his belt at the Triple-A level. The Angels are likely to need him in the rotation at some point this season, but he's a good bet to begin the year in the minors. Dana caught mono at the end of January and is just now throwing off the mound, which should effectively take him out of this competition.

Closer: Kirby Yates (ADP 362), Robert Stephenson (ADP 445), Ben Joyce (ADP 597), Jordan Romano (ADP 666), Drew Pomeranz (ADP 684), Ryan Zeferjahn (ADP 748) 

Joyce has been viewed as the Angels' closer of the future and Stephenson is in the final year of a three-year, $33 million contract, but the Halos aren't sure what to expect from either pitcher from a health perspective. The former is coming back from labrum surgery on his shoulder, which knocked him out for most of the 2025 season, and the latter dealt with thoracic outlet syndrome symptoms this offseason after missing most of the last two years with arm issues. Both players are throwing, but neither is a given to be ready for Opening Day.

Yates will turn 39 later this month and held a 5.23 ERA last season with the Dodgers. That said, his peripherals were still good, and the Angels gave him $5 million this winter to reunite him with pitching coach Mike Maddux. Yates was one of the best closers in baseball in 2024 when he and Maddux were with the Rangers. With Joyce and Stephenson just trying to get back on the mound, Yates looks like the early favorite to emerge here.

Sacramento Athletics

Third Base: Max Muncy (ADP 588), Darell Hernaiz (ADP 738), Andy Ibanez (ADP 749), Brett Harris (NR)

The Athletics were connected to some third basemen during the offseason but declined to bring anyone in outside of a waiver claim on Ibanez. The inactivity meant that Muncy, who leads all returnees with 30 starts at the hot corner last season, entered spring training at the top of the pecking order. Muncy struggled with whiffs (30.9 percent strikeout rate) and defense (minus-7 in Outs Above Average, including minus-2 at third base) last season, but the 2021 first-round pick will play nearly all of the 2026 season at just 23 years of age. Of the players listed above, he gives the A's their best chance of finding some upside at the position. Ibanez's strength is hitting left-handed pitching, so he will get starts against southpaws but will likely play sparingly versus righties. A short-side platoon at second base with lefty Jeff McNeil would make sense for him.

Fourth Starter/Fifth Starter: Jacob Lopez (ADP 412), Luis Morales (ADP 510), J.T. Ginn (ADP 674), Jack Perkins (ADP 679), Mason Barnett (NR)

Luis Severino and Jeffrey Springs are cemented into the A's rotation and Aaron Civale likely is, too, given his experience and $6 million salary. There's plenty of competition for the other two spots, however.

Lopez was a pleasant surprise for the Athletics last season, collecting a 28.3 percent strikeout rate over his 21 appearances (17 starts). Unfortunately, he ended last season with a strained pitching elbow and has been brought along slowly this spring. If healthy, the lefty should get one of these spots, but he's running out of time to be ready for Opening Day.

Morales should also have a leg up in this competition after flashing plenty of promise down the stretch last season. He was much better on the road than at hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park, a venue that was especially kind to left-handed power -- and, in turn, unforgiving to right-handed pitchers. Morales has flyball tendencies, which is scary in that stadium, but he's a hard thrower who has more strikeout upside than he showed in 2025. Ginn also has swing-and-miss ability, but his struggles in Sacramento were very pronounced (6.85 ERA) and the righty also had drastic splits (1.046 OPS against left-handed batters). Perkins might have the best stuff of this group, but he's had lots of injury issues and was much better out of the bullpen last season.

Closer: Justin Sterner (ADP 463), Mark Leiter (ADP 641), Hogan Harris (ADP 669), Perkins, Elvis Alvarado (ADP 729), Scott Barlow (ADP 730), Michael Kelly (ADP 749)

The A's created a big hole at the back end of their bullpen when they traded Mason Miller at last year's deadline. They never clearly identified a new closer down the stretch and did not acquire an obvious solution this offseason, either.

Leiter (one year, $3 million) and Barlow (one year, $2 million) were signed over the winter to add experience to the bullpen. Leiter boasts a 29.2 percent strikeout rate over the last three seasons, but his ERA over that stretch is a pedestrian 4.22. Barlow has easily the most closer experience in the group, but the 33-year-old hasn't looked like a high-leverage arm for a couple years now.

The Athletics had five different relievers notch saves after Miller was traded, with Harris leading the way with four and Kelly picking up two over that span. Sterner has the best peripherals in the group and Alvarado has the best velocity. Perkins is competing for a spot in the rotation but could wind up in the bullpen, which is where most of his appearances came in 2025.

Manager Mark Kotsay has indicated he doesn't plan to name a closer. Between that, the underwhelming options and the hitter-friendly home venue, you might be best off just steering clear of this situation.

Seattle Mariners

Second Base: Brendan Donovan (ADP 262), Colt Emerson (ADP 534), Cole Young (ADP 628)

The intention is to play Donovan primarily at third base, and Young is the heavy favorite to start at second base. However, the Mariners are leaving open the possibility that Emerson could force them to alter their plans.

Emerson won't turn 21 until after the All-Star break and has only six games under his belt at Triple-A Tacoma, so it makes sense to give him more seasoning and Young another opportunity at the keystone. Primarily a shortstop, Emerson looms as the heir apparent at that position, assuming J.P. Crawford departs in free agency next offseason, but he could push his way into the majors sooner. Emerson also has experience at second and third base, and Donovan's versatility gives the Mariners more options.

Right Field/Designated Hitter: Dominic Canzone (ADP 389), Victor Robles (ADP 474), Luke Raley (ADP 636), Rob Refsnyder (ADP 741)

The Mariners don't want to call it a strict platoon in right field and designated hitter, but it certainly shapes up to be just that.

Left-handed hitters Canzone and Raley are in line to start against righties, and right-handed bats Robles and Refsnyder are in line for regular work versus lefties. Canzone and Refsnyder would seem to be most locked into their roles. Canzone broke out over a half-season in 2025, while Refsnyder was signed explicitly for his ability to mash southpaws. Meanwhile, Robles and Raley did a poor job of both hitting and staying healthy last season. If any among the four has a chance to really emerge in 2026, it's probably Canzone, whose quality of contact last season was sublime. He also held his own in limited chances versus lefty hurlers.

Texas Rangers

Second Base: Josh Smith (ADP 387), Ezequiel Duran (ADP 728), Cody Freeman (ADP 750), Sam Haggerty (ADP 750)

The Rangers traded Marcus Semien over the winter and did not supplement their roster at second base. That leaves Smith as the heavy favorite here, at least against right-handed pitching, after he operated in a super-utility role the past two seasons.

The left-handed hitter had a .502 OPS versus southpaws last season, so he could use a platoon mate at the keystone. Both Duran and Freeman bat righty. However, Duran hasn't done anything offensively the last two seasons regardless of what hand the opposing hurler has thrown with, and Freeman is out indefinitely after being diagnosed with a lower-back fracture. The switch-hitting Haggerty looks like the better platoon fit, at least purely at the plate. Haggerty is more of an outfielder than an infielder, but he's got plenty of second-base experience and has a career .808 OPS against lefties.

Fifth Starter: Jacob Latz (ADP 559), Kumar Rocker (ADP 604), Cal Quantrill (NR), Austin Gomber (NR)

I'm confident the Rangers would like Rocker to run away with the fifth spot in the rotation. They've invested a lot in him, and heading into last season expectations were high for the No. 3 overall pick in the 2022 draft, but he struggled mightily with the big club and also dealt with injuries.

Latz is Rocker's primary competitor. It works against him that he's a good reliever too, which doesn't seem fair but is the reality. Even if Latz outpitches Rocker this spring (and he has in the early going), the Rangers could stick him in the bullpen and give Rocker another look in the rotation. Looking at the team's pitching depth chart, it's difficult to envision Latz not making a bunch of starts this season, even if they don't come right away. The lefty is intriguing, if he is able to find the strike zone often enough. Rocker, of course, is intriguing himself, but I suspect he might wind up being a better fit for the section below…

Closer: Robert Garcia (ADP 274), Chris Martin (ADP 602), Alexis Diaz (ADP 611)

Garcia tied for the team lead last season with nine saves, and the two other guys that also had nine (Shawn Armstrong and Luke Jackson) are no longer around. That should make him the incumbent here, though the Rangers do have a new manager in Skip Schumaker.

Garcia has the inherent disadvantage of being left-handed, but the 29-year-old does not have notable splits, either in 2025 or for his career. The Rangers do not have another established high-leverage left-handed arm, which means Garcia could be used earlier in games if the situation calls for it. Latz – if he's not in the rotation – could also be an option to get key outs.

Martin had seemed headed for retirement, but the 39-year-old opted to re-sign on a one-year, $4 million pact. The veteran reliever remains incredibly steady and is an elite strike-thrower. Martin has the distinction of consistently being one of the better relievers in whatever bullpen he's been in over the years but has rarely been the first, or even second, choice to close games. There's also Diaz, who fell apart in 2025 after notching 65 saves over the previous two seasons for the Reds. He's young enough at 29 to find his form again, though he got knocked around in his most recent Cactus League appearance.