Well, the hot stove has been awfully lukewarm thus far this winter, but the Roy Halladay three-team deal brought some much-anticipated heat. It also brought what could figure to be the first step in the changing of the guard in the AL West, as according to the dynamics of the deal so far, Cliff Lee would head to the Seattle Mariners. A couple hours later, Angels’ ace John Lackey decided he preferred Beantown over the City of Angels (and no, not the Nicholas Cage movie), as he is reportedly signing a five-year deal with the Red Sox. Combine that with the Texas Rangers signing the uber-talented, but far from durable, Rich Harden and trading for Chris Ray, the embattled former closer of the Baltimore Orioles, and what has been a one-team division the past three years has suddenly turned into a trio of contenders. Let’s take a look at each team:

The Seattle Mariners

In the spirit of former NFL coach Herm Edwards, you play to win the division. The Mariners have stirred up some buzz this offseason setting up their team to accomplish just that. With the acquisition of Lee to go along with the signing of free agent Chone Figgins, the Mariners look to be in line to put a stop to the Angels’ run of three straight AL West titles. The trade for Lee provides King Felix Hernandez with a left-handed counterpart atop what should turn out to be a pretty formidable rotation in 2010. At the very least, the M’s will have the best 1-2 punch in the game. But, if Ian Snell can rekindle his career and Brandon Morrow can find a way to stay healthy and fill out the final two spots after young lefty Ryan Rowland-Smith, the rotation could be stacked. Both Snell and Morrow are loaded with talent, it’s just a matter of them putting it together. Yusmeiro Petit, the young former Arizona Diamondbacks prospect, could also contribute if he can find a way to rebound from his atrocious 2009 season.

As for the offense, Ichiro is still the anchor and even though The Kid (Ken Griffey, Jr.) has grown up, he can still add some punch in the middle of the order. However, that’s about all the punch the M’s will pack this season, looking more like Mike Tyson in 2009 rather than Tyson in 1999. With Adrian Beltre and Russell Branyan testing the free agent market, home runs may be even harder to come by in spacious Safeco. Branyan could still resign, but with the Figgins signing, it looks as if Beltre’s time in Seattle has come to an end. Figgins provides great defense at the hot corner and a great on-base percentage (he paced the AL in walks in ’09), which is a definite plus considering his blazing speed. However, he figures to be another top of the order guy for the Mariners, who already have Ichiro, who reaches base at a .380 clip every year thanks to his soaring averages. So, getting runners on base won’t be a problem, but who’s going to drive in those runs?

Well, rumors are swirling that the Mariners are towards the front in the Jason Bay sweepstakes. If that goes down, it’s a move that would effectively push them over the top as the team to beat in the AL West. However, if they don’t sign Bay, Seattle has a huge hole in left field, where right now, Michael Saunders is the frontrunner. Saunders drove in just four runs in 122 at-bats in ’09.

Second baseman Jose Lopez has established himself as one of the top run producers in the game with 25 bombs and 96 RBIs and centerfielder Franklin Gutierrez is one of the most promising up-and-comers in the Majors today. However, those two combined with Griffey do not provide a heart of the order that would make any opponent’s heart skip a beat. There’s a lot of offseason left, but with pitching and defense an anchor (slick-fielding Jack Wilson retains his spot at shortstop), the M’s could make some noise in the AL West come next September-October.

The L.A. Angels

The list of Angels who filed for free agency this offseason reads like a horror novel: Chone Figgins, John Lackey, Vladimir Guerrero, Kelvim Escobar, Darren Oliver and Robb Quinlan. Figgins has already signed with Seattle and Lackey just signed with Boston. There goes the offensive table-setter and the ace of the staff. If Guerrero isn’t somehow retained, the offense will take another hit, as he performed very well down the stretch after an injury-marred beginning to the season. Escobar hasn’t been healthy at all the past two years (just one start), but he won 18 games just two years ago and is one of the most consistent starters in the game when healthy. Oliver and Quinlan have been great role players for the Halos the past few seasons, with Quinlan providing a professional presence in the clubhouse and a quality right-handed bat off the bench. Oliver has been one of the best relievers in the game the past two seasons, and from the left side, no less. So, needless to say, the 2007-09 division champs have a lot of holes to fill for ’10.

The Angels looked to be in the running for Roy Halladay, but the Mariners aided in the demise of that deal, so Mike Scioscia’s bunch has yet to make a positive splash in the offseason, though rumor has it that World Series MVP Hideki Matsui is just a physical away from signing a deal. Their team is still solid without those six free agents, as Kendry Morales, Bobby Abreu, Torii Hunter, Juan Rivera and Howie Kendrick provide some run support for Scott Kazmir, Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders and Jered Weaver. All-Star Brian Fuentes is still closing and Scot Shields is still setting him up, but the Halos have question marks in a lot of areas—the 5^th spot in the rotation, the rest of the bullpen, shortstop, designated hitter (though that will be resolved if Matsui officially signs)—which allows an opening for teams like the Mariners and Rangers to sneak through.

The Texas Rangers

The Rangers haven’t made any huge moves like their counterparts in the division, but a couple of under-the-radar pitching moves have the Rangers’ roster stacked with young, budding talent.

The Harden and Ray moves look solid, but in the process of trading for Ray, the Rangers had to give up Kevin Millwood, an innings eater and a professional in every sense of the word. His veteran presence will be missed sorely in ’10, especially with the young pitching staff. However, it is that young pitching staff that could be the key to the 2010 season as 17-game winner Scott Feldman and Harden sit atop a rotation that is loaded with talent, but lacks experience. Prospects Derek Holland, Tommy Hunter, Matt Harrison and Neftali Feliz have experts and Rangers upper management excited and three of the four could fill out the remaining spots in the rotation. 2010 may be a little early for a couple of these young guys, but their all-world talent should win out sooner rather than later.

The Ray trade looks like a win-win for all parties, as the Orioles get a reliable and effective veteran to bolster their staff, Ray should get a chance to close once again and the Rangers find a guy to help cut down on the 13 blown saves they had last year. It would also move righty Frank Francisco and lefty C.J. Wilson to setup roles, giving the Rangers a formidable late-inning trio that would provide matchup problems for any team they face.

Despite outfielders Marlon Byrd and Andruw Jones, first baseman Hank Blalock and wily veterans Ivan Rodriguez and Omar Vizquel leaving via free agency, the Rangers’ offense is still one of the best in the game. Middle infielders Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus will continue to set the table while Michael Young, Josh Hamilton and the newly refurbished presence of Nelson Cruz will drive them in. If Chris Davis can find his power stroke again and David Murphy can improve slightly on his middle-of-the-road numbers, the Rangers won’t have to worry about how well their young arms are developing, they’ll just outscore everybody.

Either way, it should be an exciting three-team race in 2010.