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The Dodgers and Angels have each made some big moves (and passed on some others) in the eternal quest to keep up with their respective Joneses. And while each has succeeded overall in improving their rosters, the teams still live in very different neighborhoods. For the Blue, despite the fact that the NL’s winningest team in ‘07 (the Diamondbacks) was a division opponent, the West, along with the National League at large, are still wide open. The Dan Haren deal makes Arizona better, but their offense is dicey. The NL Central is still a certified FEMA disaster zone. The Mets have big bats and bigger issues with their pitching staff. Philly? Good, but not great. There is no dominant team in the National League.

But whereas the Blue simply have to leap other talented-but-flawed teams to snag a playoff berth, the Angels are already King of the AL West hill. It’s the rest of the league that’s the problem.

So are they any closer to a coronation?

The Angels vs. the AL West: First things first- are the Halos still top dog on their home turf? Abso-freakin’-lutely. In fact, they should go into ‘08 bigger favorites to win the division than they were last year. While they paid through the nose for it, the sock and increased depth provided by Torii Hunter should help the Angels get more out of Vladdy and Garrett Anderson. Adding Jon Garland to the rotation won’t exactly cause a run on season tix, but he makes an already good staff even better. At short, Maicer Izturis should be just fine replacing Orlando Cabrera. They’re low on genuine, fear-of-God bashers, but the Hunter acquisition makes them an enhanced version of an ‘07 team built on pitching, defense, and speed, winning 94 games under tough circumstances.

It’s not like being compared to the Devil Rays or something. They’re not perfect, but the Angels are very good.

How about the rest of the division?

From the bottom up: The Texas Rangers have added Milton Bradley, Ben Broussard, and Josh Hamilton to a squad that lost 87 games last year because they had some of the worst pitching in baseball. The new blood should be about as helpful as treating the flu with a shoulder sling. The A’s, who finished a scant game ahead of Texas, traded away Dan Haren and Nick Swisher, and may move Joe Blanton before spring starts. Fair to say they won’t be catching the Angels this year. The Seattle Mariners haven’t lost anyone significant** off a team that surprised the baseball world by winning 88 games in ‘07, and added depth to their rotation in Carlos Silva. If Felix Hernandez makes “the leap” (a 4-0 September certainly was encouraging) and helps elevate an otherwise shaky staff , the M’s could cause some trouble… but they’re still not in the Angels’ class. One more year and a couple tweaks here and there, and the Halos could have some company. But for now, no.

**(1.15) Thanks to reader Stu for noting that in fact the M’s did lose a significant player in Jose Guillen, who hit 23 homers and knocked in 99 with an .813 OPS… that counts as significant, but at least it reinforces the notion that Seattle isn’t quite good enough yet.  

In short, there’s no reason to believe the Angels won’t win the West for the fourth time in the last five years.

Then there’s the hard part.

The real test is whether or not the Angels have improved relative to the teams most likely to meet them in and/or knock them out of the playoffs: Boston, New York, Cleveland, and Detroit. Below are my mid-January evals of who I’d take in a seven game series. As you read, remember that I think all five of these teams have the potential to be very, very good, winning well over 90 games, so criticisms are relative:

Cleveland: Indians won 96 games, torched the Yankees in the ALDS, then whiffed on three chances to knock off the Sox to reach their first World Series in seven thousand years. Pity, since I can’t imagine they wouldn’t have taken Colorado. Coulda, woulda, shoulda. Cleveland has barely tinkered with their roster this winter, because they really didn’t need to. Grady Sizemore sets the table for a lineup that will score plenty of runs. Travis Hafner. Victor Martinez. An improving Ryan Garko. The pitching staff was excellent last season (4.05 team ERA, fifth best in baseball), but could be vulnerable, despite the incredible fun it is to say “Fausto Carmona” every fifth day. After Carmona and CC Sabathia, Aaron Laffey, Paul Byrd, and even Jake Westbrook aren’t a sure bet to perform. They’re backed by a great pen… until you get to a closer in Joe Borowski, who is worse for a fan’s blood pressure than a bacon wrapped salt lick. Plus, they’ll be under more pressure in the Central with Detroit back in the mix.

Who wins: Cleveland’s O is good but not avalanche overwhelming, and the Angels have the arms to hang. Halos in seven.

New York: For all the A-Rod talk, pitching has hurt the Yankees in their last few postseasons as much, if not more, than anything else. This season, the pinstripers will get an injection of youth in the starting staff via a full season of Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain’s move to the rotation. Hot prospect Ian Kennedy could get some innings, too. If those three are up to the task, they’ll enhance the work of Chien-Ming Wang, and help cover for any lingering Mike Mussina shakiness. Offensively, the Yankees did laps around every other offense in baseball, scoring 76 more runs than Philadelphia at #2. Even if the older folk in their lineup slow down a little (Johnny Damon seems like a good candidate), Joe Girardi’s bunch will still pile up runs. They’ll have to fill in the setup role manned so dominantly by Chamberlain last year- enter LaTroy Hawkins- but still have Mariano Rivera to close things out. Still, I can’t help but feel the rotation needs one more year in the oven before they’re fully baked for the postseason.

Who Wins: The Angels throw and catch better than New York, can run on Posada, and I think the Yankees are too young in some spots, too old in others. Angels in seven.

Detroit: Maybe it’s because I think the Angels should have pulled the trigger themselves, but you can officially call me a believer in the Tigers after their deal for Miguel Cabrera (that Dontrelle Willis fella was a nice touch, too). Last season, Detroit scored only five fewer runs than the Red Sox. Fully Miggified, the lineup they’ll trot out in ‘08 will be Yankees productive without being Yankees old. Don’t underestimate the acquisition of Edgar Renteria, either. Meanwhile, let’s not forget that two years ago, the buzz around this group centered around their young, up and coming hurlers. And while the kids slipped in ‘07, teams could do worse than to hitch their wagon to Justin Verlander and Jeremy Bonderman, with Willis, Nate Robertson, and Kenny Rogers behind them. With this roster, Jim Leyland might even be able to quit smoking. Or at least switch to lights.

Who Wins: I think the pitching rebounds closer to ‘06 levels, when the Tigers led all of baseball in ERA. Add in that offense? Pour me some Kool-Aid, because I’m drinking. They’re too much for the Angels (specifically, one Miguel Cabrera deal too much). Tigers in six.

Boston: The Red Sox were badass then, they’re badass now. Or at least they appear to think so, since management has done absolutely nothing to tinker with the mix from last year. No reason to, either. They’ve won two World Series in four years, and the ‘07 version of the squad had the second highest run total in baseball to go along with the second best team ERA. We’re talking textbook definition of “If it ain’t broke…” Still, a fully healthy Jon Lester in the rotation will make them better, as will a season’s worth of Jacoby Ellsbury in the outfield. And if Clay Buchholz can contribute (or even find a spot to do it)?

Yikes.

Who Wins: They were better in ‘07, they’re still better in ‘08. Not that there’s any shame in it. Boston is still probably better than everyone. Red Sox in six.

That puts the Angels third in the AL, behind Boston and Detroit, ahead of New York and Cleveland in the always important “Brian Kamenetzky mid-January Power Rankings.” Obviously, there’s still time for things to change before Spring Training- a Johan Santana trade could really screw with all this quality research- and in-season injuries are always a momentum changer.

But right now, the Angels are close, but won’t be favorites to win the AL (and by extension, the World Series).

I mentioned that the Cabrera deal would have helped, right?

Brian Kamenetzky hosts the Lakers Blog and Blue Notes: A Dodgers Blog for the LA Times.com. He’s a contributing writer to ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com, and can be heard regularly on the Steve Mason Show, on 710 ESPN radio in LA. Write him at bk@sportshubla.com.

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