2026 MLB Season Preview: AL West Odds & Predictions — Mariners Favored To Repeat

It's possible no other division in baseball has a less certain favorite according to the sportsbooks, than the American League West.

Oddsmakers have the Mariners as basically even-money favorites to cop the AL West (-105). The Astros and Mariners are bundled next as decent longshot candidates. The wild west could indeed be wild in 2026, with no clear-cut dominant team.

Odds for this article and baseball betting are from FanDuel and Caesars. Consult our other previews to learn about the AL Central, AL East, and NL races (West, Central, East).

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2026 MLB Season Team Odds to Win AL West

These odds are from FanDuel Sportsbook:

• Seattle Mariners ... -105
• Houston Astros ... +260
• Texas Rangers ... +330
• Athletics ... +1300
• Los Angeles Angels ... +2700

Why the favorite can win: Seattle has the fewest question marks. The lineup has four of the 10-12 best position players in the division. Consider this "All AL West Division Team:"

• Cal Raleigh, Mariners, C
• Nick Kurtz, Athletics, 1B
• Jose Altuve, Astros, 2B
• Jeremy Peña, Astros, SS
• Brendan Donovan, Mariners, 3B
• Randy Arozarena, Mariners, LF
• Julio Rodriguez, Mariners, CF
• Brandon Nimmo, Rangers, RF
• Yordan Alvarewz, Astros, DH

The Mariners should be slump-proof offensively. The question will be whether the bench and bullpen can be as effective as they were in 2025 when they got to a Game 7 in the AL Championship series and a whisker from their first appearance in the Fall Classic.

Longshot with a chance: I'm attracted to Texas at +330. A winning $50 wager on the Rangers would pay out $165. Why can the Rangers win the West? Pitching. Last season the team led the AL in ERA, were third in WHIP, and had the second-best hold percentage from its bullpen. That means: the Rangers were in a lot of games. I don't think they'll finish with 81 wins again, but this is a team that can win the division and win in the playoffs.

AL West Team Previews 2026

Maybe the west is three hours behind those of us on the east coast, but that doesn't mean we should ignore the division races. The AL West has many exciting storylines, including future Hall of Famers, a record-setting catcher, and a Team Without a City.

AL West Favorite: Seattle Mariners

The Red Sox were the only AL team to finish in the top five in ERA and runs scored in 2025. The Mariners barely missed it: fourth in ERA< but sixth in scoring. This balance is why the M's are favorites to win the AL West crown.

Did you know Seattle has never won the division title in two straight seasons? Or that the franchise has only four division crowns in total? There's a feeling that this is the Golden Era of Mariners baseball. With Cal Raleigh, JRod (Julio Rodriguez), and Randy Arozarena, the team has the foundation to get to the playoffs many times the next five years or so.

Take the OVER on the Mariners. It's possible they approach 100 wins in 2026. I like the pitching, and I love the possibility for one or two of their everyday players to challenge for the MVP.

• AL West Bet & Prediction: Under 91.5 Wins -110 (Caesars)

Houston Astros

The Dodgers have the best front office in baseball, maybe all of sports. But Houston is second in MLB. That's because the Astros know how to scout and develop. Those skills aren't as sexy as writing checks for free agents, but they are more important.

Houston added Nick Allen, Christian Vázquez, Roddery Muñoz, Christian Roa, and starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai from Japan. They join a talented core led by Jeremy Peña, Yordan Alvarez, Carlos Correa, Yainer Diaz, and yes Jose Altuve, who continues his march to 3,000 hits. He's about 600 away.

A winning $100 bet on the Astros would get you $260. Consult the best baseball betting apps to submit your MLB Futures pick.

• AL West Bet & Prediction: Under 91.5 Wins -110 (Caesars)

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Texas Rangers

Three reasons to pick the Rangers to win the AL West in 2026:

• Best pitching staff in the AL
• Led the league in fielding runs in 2025
• Added Brandon Nimmo and improved bullpen with four new power arms

How about a real longshot for awards futures? Jacob deGrom is almost 38 years old. But, he can still spin a baseball. You don't need to win many games to contend for a Cy Young. Odds on deGrom winning the 2026 AL Cy Young Award are currently +1400.

• AL West Bet & Prediction: Under 91.5 Wins -110 (Caesars)

Athletics

The Athletics are the Team Without a City. Yes, for 81 games they play for the good folks of Sacramento. But, that fine city isn't mentioned anywhere on the A's uniforms. The franchise is simply in a holding pattern until Las Vegas has a baseball stadium ready for it. But before that happens (2028 permanently) the A's have meaningful games to play.

Given the weird, wandering history of the Athletics, it feels appropriate that they might make a playoff appearance as a Team Without a City. Surprisingly, this roster wouldn't be the worst we have ever seen to play October baseball.

Want LH power? The A's have Tyler Soderstrom and Nick Kurtz. Want RH power? How about Shea Langeliers and Brent Rooker. This team could produce four 30+ HR hitters. The bench is also much improved with Andy Ibáñez and Austin Wynns for a full season.

The A's need to find quality arms. Last season was a disaster on the bump. I don't see many head-turning moves to make that better. Which means the A's will need to develop young arms, or hope someone like Luis Severino or Aaron Civale has a stellar season. Still, I like the A's to outperform their win totals from oddsmakers.

• AL West Bet & Prediction: Under 91.5 Wins -110 (Caesars)

Los Angeles Angels

The Angels are not as bad as the oddsmakers make them out to be. But, that doesn't make them a good choice to win this division or even make the AL Playoffs.

Last season Mike Trout played 130 games for the first time in five years. But, he's a different ballplayer at age 34 than he was when he was 24. No longer an MVP candidate, the Millville Meteor can still swing a dangerous bat. He's more a power hitter at this point. But even if Trout swims very well in 2026, the Halos will be hard-pressed to get to 75 wins.

• AL West Bet & Prediction: Under 91.5 Wins -110 (Caesars)