Will a superstar's departure help the Mariners dominate an AL Rival?

The Angels no longer have Shohei Ohtani on their roster, a big change. While he was a challenging opponent, I enjoyed watching him pitch and hit. Shohei Ohtani draws attention and distracts. The departure of Phil Nevin and his replacement by Ron Washington has been another big change for the Angels. Washington, a 10-year MLB infield player and a coach or manager for almost thirty years, will be the Halo's skipper for 2024.

The word from Angels' Spring Training is that there are good vibes. Additionally, there are about 47 fewer members of the media at Spring Training now that Ohtani has gone to the Dodgers, presumably with the media following in his wake. Since Ohtani’s presence did not help them get to the postseason, I do not anticipate much of a difference in the Angel's overall performance. The unknown factors (in addition to injuries and trades) are Ron Washington's contributions and whether Ohtani's absence will help the Angels' focus increase.

In 2023, the Mariners won eight out of 13 games with the Angels while the Angels won five.