Major financial shift in American League

The Mariners' deal with Robinson Cano was another sign of the AL's money shift. AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

It's hard to say when the first real sign of escalation in the American League West appeared. Maybe it was the Mariners' trade for Cliff Lee in December 2009, a swift and aggressive deal made before any of the AL East powers knew that Lee was actually available. Or maybe it was the Rangers' deal for Lee the next summer, when Texas outmaneuvered the Yankees to get a left-hander who propelled them to the World Series for the first time.

Or perhaps it was the Angels' signing of Albert Pujols at the winter meetings in 2011, the first ripple felt in baseball from the new wave of lucrative local television deals that were being signed by some clubs.

Regardless of how it started, what we have continued to see is something of a shift in the American League, like weight being moved from one side of the scale to the other.