Mark Duncan / AP

With new players like Andruw Jones, left, and Omar Vizquel, right, in the fold, Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen is all smiles this spring.

Q: What are the Angels' chances of unseating the Yankees for the AL title?
— Rob Lenart, Huntington Beach, Calif.

A: There is a lot of speculation about the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers challenging the Angels in the American League West, but I'm not buying it. Somebody will have to knock out the champ, as far as I'm concerned. In other words, I'm sticking with the Angels to win their 90-or-so games, and their sixth AL West title in seven years.

Now about October ... Obviously, it's near-impossible to look that far down the road and predict accurately, so I'll run down what I think the Angels will have to do to win a second pennant under Mike Scioscia:

The rotation still goes five-deep without John Lackey, but needs a top three to emerge that can out-pitch the top threes of the Yankees and Red Sox. Perhaps Jered Weaver, Ervin Santana and Scott Kazmir could be that threesome.

Sticking with the pitching-wins-in-the-postseason theme, the back of the bullpen needs Scot Shields to return to form after missing most of last season, as well as a bit more consistency from Brian Fuentes and newcomer Fernando Rodney.

The offensive question marks aren't as severe. Erick Aybar should be up to the task of replacing Chone Figgins in the leadoff spot, and Brandon Wood should be ready to assume the third-base job, and add some home-run power to the lineup.

The Angels will score plenty of runs during the regular season, but it's always tougher to beat elite, playoff-level starting pitching.

Q: How long will the Yankees be able to buy pennants?
— Dan Morehouse, Grants Pass, Ore.

A: The quick answer to that is 'indefinitely'. As everybody knows, the Yankees' payroll dwarfs that of the other 29 teams, and that's not going to change much even when/if? new revenue sharing rules come with the next Basic Agreement.

That said, the Yankees have won only one pennant since 2000, so their financial advantage doesn't always turn into championships.

Still, the competitive-balance issue has worsened with the nation's economic downturn, during which a few teams — notably the Rays and Padres — are saying they can't sustain their payrolls.

Expect the issue to come to a head during the next round of Basic Agreement talks, which will begin next year, as the current agreement expires after the 2011 season.

I think the result will be more-extensive revenue sharing (the current figure is about $450 million going from the rich to the poor, so to speak). But the enormous gap between the Yankees' payroll and everybody else's won't be altered all that much.

Q: The Mariners are considering moving Chone Figgins to second base and Jose Lopez to third, even though Figgins was brilliant at third for the Angels. Do you think this is a good idea?
— Grace Francisco, Yakima, Wash.

A: They're taking a look at it this spring, and early indications are they like what they see. As GM Jack Zduriencik told me last week, ''We all have feelings about it. Until we actually see it with our own eyes, we thought it was important to look at. We're trying to gather as much information as possible, and then we'll make a decision.''

Keep in mind that Zduriencik places great importance on his team's defense, particularly up the middle. You're right; Figgins is an outstanding third baseman. But he's also very good at second base, and likely will have more range than Lopez.

And since Lopez committed a high total of 15 errors in 141 games last season, why not look for an upgrade — assuming, of course, that Lopez can play third base. The rest of the spring will provide an answer.

More news

Tony Gutierrez / AP

More heroics from Hamilton

Josh Hamilton fights off illness to hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the 13th inning, lifting the Texas Rangers to an 8-7 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.

Angels win as Pujols HR streak up to 3 games

SEATTLE (AP) - Albert Pujols hit a home run in his third straight game and pinch hitter Alberto Callaspo came through with a grand slam in the sixth inning to give the Los Angeles Angels a 5-3 win over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday.

Headlines

• Label

Saltalamacchia's walkoff HR lifts Red Sox

Red Sox's Valentine calls out Rays' coaches

Teixeira hits 2 HRs as Yankees rout A's

HBT: Santana pitches first shutout in 2 years

Harper homers as Strasburg, Nats beat Braves

Buehrle, Marlins stay hot, beat Giants

Fielder's 4-hit game lifts Tigers over Twins

Fear of losing Montero leads D-backs to big deal