Off-Season Not Big Hit

The American League West landscape has changed considerably since the Angels won their second consecutive division title last fall, and with pitchers and catchers reporting for spring training today, the Angels are no longer in the foreground. If anything, they seem to blend in with the scenery.

The Oakland Athletics, winners of 88 games in 2005, added Esteban Loaiza to what was already a championship-caliber rotation and Milton Bradley and Frank Thomas to an offense that had some snap and crackle but not quite enough pop.

The Texas Rangers overhauled their rotation, signing free agent Kevin Millwood to be their ace and acquiring Adam Eaton and Vicente Padilla in trades, giving one of baseball’s most lethal offenses the pitching it needs to contend.

Even the Seattle Mariners, who finished 26 games out in 2005, look a little better after signing former Angel pitcher Jarrod Washburn and adding catcher Kenji Johjima and designated hitter Carl Everett to a lineup that, with Ichiro Suzuki, Richie Sexson and Adrian Beltre, can still be dangerous.

The only team that essentially stood still this off-season, barring an 11th-hour signing of free-agent pitcher Jeff Weaver, was the Angels, who lost two key starters from last season’s rotation, and failed to add an impact bat to an offense that struggled in 2005 and vanished during an AL championship series loss to the Chicago White Sox.

After his $145-million free-agent haul netted Vladimir Guerrero, Bartolo Colon and Kelvim Escobar before 2004, and his $51-million outlay brought Orlando Cabrera, Paul Byrd and Steve Finley before 2005, it was as if Angel owner Arte Moreno’s money was no good this winter.

The Angels flashed a five-year, $60-million offer to slugger Paul Konerko, who took the same deal to remain with the White Sox, and several rounds of negotiations with Boston and Baltimore failed to net Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez or Oriole shortstop Miguel Tejada.

So, where does that leave the Angel offense this spring? Pretty much where we left it last October, which is why the Angels won’t be a consensus favorite to win their third consecutive AL West title.

The Angels have shuffled some bodies, moving Darin Erstad from first base back to center field to open a spot for promising young first baseman Casey Kotchman, giving utility player Chone Figgins a more permanent home at third, and opening the catching job for longtime backup Jose Molina and rookie Jeff Mathis.

But this is essentially the same offense -- minus catcher Bengie Molina, one of the team’s top clutch hitters -- that hit .175 with a .200 on-base percentage in a five-game AL championship series loss, and ranked 10th in the league in home runs and ninth in slugging percentage and on-base percentage last season.

“It probably puts some things in a gray area, but that doesn’t mean the solutions are not going to be there,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “It will come more in-house than we anticipated ... but we’ll have more options to keep our offensive continuity.”

Scioscia and General Manager Bill Stoneman are banking on Kotchman and Juan Rivera to be more productive with more playing time, on left fielder Garret Anderson, who reportedly has lost about 20 pounds, to rebound from an injury-plagued 2005, and on young slugger Dallas McPherson to be a bigger factor after missing most of his rookie season because of a hip injury.

They’ll need leadoff batter Figgins to reach base and wreak havoc, Guerrero to rank among league leaders in the Triple Crown categories, and Mathis and Molina to prevent the catching spot from becoming an offensive black hole.

“We can compensate for [the lack of] a big bat with more balance through the lineup,” Scioscia said.

Rivera, who will split time between left field and designated hitter, earned a more prominent role by hitting .271 with 15 home runs and 59 runs batted in last season in 350 at-bats, a performance that projects to 21 homers and 84 RBIs over 500 at-bats.

Kotchman, who hit .278 with seven homers and 22 RBIs in only 126 at-bats last season, should be an offensive upgrade at first over Erstad (.273, seven homers, 66 RBIs in 609 at-bats).

But since being diagnosed with an arthritic back condition early in 2004, Anderson hasn’t been the force he was from 2000 to 2003, when he averaged 30 homers and 120 RBIs.

And McPherson, who had hip surgery last fall, can’t have much of an impact from the bench -- he appears to have lost the third base job to Figgins, and with Anderson and Rivera expected to share most of the DH at-bats, McPherson’s opportunities may be limited.

Even if Anderson, Rivera and Kotchman provide a balance of power through the middle of the lineup, the Angels still lack the home run threat that will prevent opponents from intentionally walking or pitching around Guerrero, who will no doubt be spoiled during the World Baseball Classic, when he’ll be surrounded in the Dominican lineup by Ramirez, Tejada, David Ortiz and Albert Pujols.

“Maybe you’d like to have a little more pop,” Scioscia said, “but we’ll certainly be able to score runs with players we have.”

The Angels still have a better-than-solid rotation with Colon, John Lackey, Escobar and Ervin Santana, but the loss of Washburn and Byrd leaves the fifth spot open to question.

With closer Francisco Rodriguez and setup men Scot Shields and left-hander J.C. Romero, the back of the bullpen looks strong again, and the defense looks every bit as good, if not better, than last season.

“We’ll look to create as much offense as we can,” Scioscia said, “but we’re going to win with effective pitching, the league’s best bullpen and playing great defense.”

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The Angels expect to receive an answer today from Weaver, who has been courted by several teams, including the Rangers and Cleveland Indians. The Angels originally offered Weaver a one-year deal plus an option for 2007, but they are believed to have bumped their offer to two years.

Angel owner Arte Moreno said he would like an answer by today so that if Weaver signs with the Angels, he can be in camp for the start of workouts Thursday. But it is unclear how firm Moreno’s deadline is or whether the offer will be pulled if Weaver does not accept it by today.

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ANGEL OPENERS

* Spring training: March 2, vs. Milwaukee Brewers, noon PST,

Tempe Diablo Stadium, Tempe, Ariz.

* Regular season: April 3, at Seattle, 2 p.m.