I was looking at some futures in baseball and saw some of the odds that certain teams have to either win the World Series or to win their respected pennants. I came up with a few teams with quality odds that you may want to put a few dollars on...
To Win World Series
Phillies - 15/1
Athletics - 20/1
Indians - 20/1
Astros - 35/1
Marlins - 35/1
To Win AL or NL Pennant
Athletics - 11/1
Indians - 15/1
Marlins - 15/1
Astros - 17/1
Here are some value bets you might want to consider on division champs...
Indians - 4/1
Phillies - 4/1
Astros - 7/1
Not a lot of respect for the Marlins. They are pretty much the same team as last year with a young, exciting, and very motivational manager who won't be as "distracting" as their former manager (I thought Joe G. was awesome).
The Phillies have one of the top 5 rotations in baseball. They're bullpen is probably their only weakness. But with a lineup that contains Rollins, Utley, Howard, and Burrell, you can have your pitching take the night off and still win.
I really think the Astros will end up surprising a lot of people. They lost Andy Pettite and possibly Roger Clemens, but they still have Roy Oswalt and one of the best offenses in the league. Oswalt can't do it alone, clearly, but I'm almost positive The Rocket will comeback once more. With a rotation of Oswalt/Clemens/Jennings/Williams and whoever, they can compete. That bullpen is a big question mark but it all depends on one guy; Brad Lidge. If he's his 2004 or 2005 version, things will be just great. If he's anything close to his 2006 format, yikes. But it'll be awesome to see Berkman/Lee/Biggio/Ensberg (he'll be fine) in that small ballpark.
As for the Indians, pitching. If they got it, they'll be unbeatable. If they don't, they'll suck. You can say that about any team right? Possibly. That bullpen is a huge question mark. They've signed 47 relievers in hopes that they can find 5-7 that can do well. No joke, Keith Foulke, Roberto Hernandez, Aaron Fultz, and Joe Borowski were all signed. Their rotation should be solid if Captain Cheeseburger Sabathia stays committed to his fitness plan and doesn't lose focus of what the team's goals are. Westbrook, Lee, Sowers, and Byrd will also have to perform rather well. Their offense is amazing. Sizemore, Hafner, Marte, Martinez, Blake, Nixon, and co., scare the living crap out of every pitcher in the league.
Don't be fooled by the Blue Jays, Cubs, and Tigers. In my eyes, none of them have value. The Jays will not overtake the Red Sox AND Yankees this season. And even if they do, they'll fall apart in the playoffs because they lack the experience.
The Cubs still have no pitching. They have an amazing lineup, but they forget about that aspect of the game when they were out trying to buy a World Series this offseason. Zambrano is their only quality starter. Lilly, Prior, Marquis, and whoever else they put out there are not going to scare anyone.
The Tigers added Gary Sheffield but they lost key members of their bullpen and there is no way their pitching staff puts up the same effort again. Kenny Rogers is done, especially after he got caught cheating (which he did and if you deny it, you're NUTS). Todd Jones slowly will fall apart and be flatlined by the All-Star break. The young starting rotation behind Rogers will just be overwhelmed as opposing batters will pay more attention to them, give them the proper respect, and thus hit them better.
That's all for now. I'll be back in full force come April. If you want to make a huge bet on one solid play; put $1,000 on the White Sox to win the World Series (9/1) and $500 on them to win the AL Pennant (5/1). If they don't do either, you lose $1,500, big whoop! If they win the Pennant but lose the WS, you profit $500. If they win the World Series, you walk away with $11,500 and you only risked $1,500. They have the best value amongst the top 3 or 5 WS contenders.
To Win World Series
Phillies - 15/1
Athletics - 20/1
Indians - 20/1
Astros - 35/1
Marlins - 35/1
To Win AL or NL Pennant
Athletics - 11/1
Indians - 15/1
Marlins - 15/1
Astros - 17/1
Here are some value bets you might want to consider on division champs...
Indians - 4/1
Phillies - 4/1
Astros - 7/1
Not a lot of respect for the Marlins. They are pretty much the same team as last year with a young, exciting, and very motivational manager who won't be as "distracting" as their former manager (I thought Joe G. was awesome).
The Phillies have one of the top 5 rotations in baseball. They're bullpen is probably their only weakness. But with a lineup that contains Rollins, Utley, Howard, and Burrell, you can have your pitching take the night off and still win.
I really think the Astros will end up surprising a lot of people. They lost Andy Pettite and possibly Roger Clemens, but they still have Roy Oswalt and one of the best offenses in the league. Oswalt can't do it alone, clearly, but I'm almost positive The Rocket will comeback once more. With a rotation of Oswalt/Clemens/Jennings/Williams and whoever, they can compete. That bullpen is a big question mark but it all depends on one guy; Brad Lidge. If he's his 2004 or 2005 version, things will be just great. If he's anything close to his 2006 format, yikes. But it'll be awesome to see Berkman/Lee/Biggio/Ensberg (he'll be fine) in that small ballpark.
As for the Indians, pitching. If they got it, they'll be unbeatable. If they don't, they'll suck. You can say that about any team right? Possibly. That bullpen is a huge question mark. They've signed 47 relievers in hopes that they can find 5-7 that can do well. No joke, Keith Foulke, Roberto Hernandez, Aaron Fultz, and Joe Borowski were all signed. Their rotation should be solid if Captain Cheeseburger Sabathia stays committed to his fitness plan and doesn't lose focus of what the team's goals are. Westbrook, Lee, Sowers, and Byrd will also have to perform rather well. Their offense is amazing. Sizemore, Hafner, Marte, Martinez, Blake, Nixon, and co., scare the living crap out of every pitcher in the league.
Don't be fooled by the Blue Jays, Cubs, and Tigers. In my eyes, none of them have value. The Jays will not overtake the Red Sox AND Yankees this season. And even if they do, they'll fall apart in the playoffs because they lack the experience.
The Cubs still have no pitching. They have an amazing lineup, but they forget about that aspect of the game when they were out trying to buy a World Series this offseason. Zambrano is their only quality starter. Lilly, Prior, Marquis, and whoever else they put out there are not going to scare anyone.
The Tigers added Gary Sheffield but they lost key members of their bullpen and there is no way their pitching staff puts up the same effort again. Kenny Rogers is done, especially after he got caught cheating (which he did and if you deny it, you're NUTS). Todd Jones slowly will fall apart and be flatlined by the All-Star break. The young starting rotation behind Rogers will just be overwhelmed as opposing batters will pay more attention to them, give them the proper respect, and thus hit them better.
That's all for now. I'll be back in full force come April. If you want to make a huge bet on one solid play; put $1,000 on the White Sox to win the World Series (9/1) and $500 on them to win the AL Pennant (5/1). If they don't do either, you lose $1,500, big whoop! If they win the Pennant but lose the WS, you profit $500. If they win the World Series, you walk away with $11,500 and you only risked $1,500. They have the best value amongst the top 3 or 5 WS contenders.
