Angels Aren’t That Afraid of Rangers

With bat in hand, he’s a superstar. Teammates and opponents respect him. Fans adore him, in part because he donates time and money to charity.

So, if you can afford to toss him a pot of gold, why not? A pennant will surely follow, right?

That didn’t work for the Angels, not when they needed pitching and lavished $80 million on first baseman Mo Vaughn two years ago. And that might not work for the Texas Rangers, even though they bought perhaps the best position player in the game Monday when they signed shortstop Alex Rodriguez for $252 million.

You wouldn’t build a million-dollar house upon a foundation of mud, but the Rangers trumpeted their World Series hopes Monday despite a starting rotation that could include Doug Davis and Ryan Glynn.

“I don’t think Texas has answered its biggest question, which is pitching,” Angel outfielder Tim Salmon said. “They’re going to score a lot of runs, but everyone in the division scores a lot of runs. I don’t think you can consider Texas a lock.”

The Rangers had the worst earned-run average in the major leagues last season, at 5.52. Closer John Wetteland might retire because of back problems. The projected rotation includes veterans Rick Helling (16-13, 4.48), Kenny Rogers (13-13, 4.55) and Darren Oliver (2-9, 7.42) and youngsters Davis (7-6, 5.38) and Glynn (5-7, 5.58).

So forgive the Angels for not conceding the American League West title yet. Their starting pitching is no better, to be sure, but their offense is no worse. The Angels lost 80 games and finished 9 1/2 games out of first place; the Rangers lost 91 games and finished 20 1/2 games out.

“We expect to very competitive with all the clubs in our division and certainly with Texas,” Manager Mike Scioscia said.

“Because Texas got A-Rod, does that diminish our lineup? Not at all. I would not take any lineup in the division over ours.”

Even with Rodriguez--and first baseman Andres Galarraga and third baseman Ken Caminiti, also signed as free agents by the Rangers--the projected Texas lineup hit fewer home runs last season than the projected Angel lineup.

The more relevant point is that you cannot bludgeon your way into the playoffs. The Toronto Blue Jays hit the most home runs in the AL last season. The Angels had the highest slugging percentage. The Houston Astros led the NL in both categories. All three teams missed the playoffs.

“Offense always helps. The more offense you add, the more competitive you’ll be in producing runs,” Scioscia said. “But it’s very unrealistic for any club to be competitive without a solid pitching staff.

“That’s an issue we’ve been trying to address, and that’s as much a priority today as it’s been for 100 years.”

The Rangers would love to trade for pitching. The Rodriguez signing transforms shortstop Royce Clayton into a nice bargaining chip, although pitching is at such a premium that the Rangers cannot expect to trade Clayton and acquire a starter better than Rogers.

The Angels would love to trade for pitching too. But, while the Rangers added a shortstop in Rodriguez, who hit .316 with 41 home runs last season, the Angels added shortstop Wilmy Caceres, who hit .268 with three home runs at double-A--and traded pitcher Seth Etherton, a former first-round draft pick, to get him. The Angels also bring back shortstops Gary DiSarcina, who missed most of last season after shoulder surgery, and Benji Gil, who hit .239.

Said Scioscia: “No matter who we put there, they’re going to pale in comparison to what a Rodriguez does.”

Still, Angel General Manager Bill Stoneman scoffed at the notion that the Rodriguez signing affected the balance of power within the division.

“It affects the balance of spending,” Stoneman said. “He’s one player. He helped his club last year and I’m sure he’ll help his club next year. It’s still a team game. The rest of the division is still going to be strong.”

Times staff writer Mike DiGiovanna contributed to this report