Evaluating the Angels against their AL West rivals 50 games into the season

Athletics 22-30

Now out of Oakland, the Athletics did something uncharacteristic this past offseason -- they spent money. Now, the money they spent is small change compared to some of the financial behemoths around baseball, but Luis Severino's three-year $67 million deal was the largest in franchise history and was followed up quickly by the extension they lavished on Brent Rooker which could eventually eclipse Severino with a total potential payout of $82 million going to the slugger.

Severino has been good, not great for the Athletics, and the rest of the rotation leaves a lot to be desired with a 27th ranked 4.86 ERA. Their bullpen, not much better than the Angels, has struggled mightily with a 28th ranked 5.98 ERA.

The Athletics boast an impressive collection of young hitters led by Tyler Soderstrom, Jacob Wilson, and others, but their pitching staff lags so far behind that it's extremely unlikely they'll be able to make a run in the division. The future may be bright for this team, but they still have a lot of work to do.