Tuesday afternoon, the Red Sox made two trades and one free agent signing, and sent shockwaves throughout baseball by acquiring Chris Sale from the White Sox. Boston sent four prospects to Chicago, including infielder Yoan Moncada. The BoSox also added Tyler Thornburg and Mitch Moreland on Tuesday, making them primary World Series contenders in the eyes of many.
According to SportsLine, the addition of Sale improved Boston's outlook next season considerably, as expected. Their projected win total jumps from 95.0 to 97.9, and their World Series odds improved from 12.6 percent to 15.9 percent. Here's the breakdown:
Adding Sale (and Thornburg and Moreland) also improved the Red Sox's 2017 World Series odds from 9/1 to 11/2, according to Bovada. That means you win $11 for every $2 you bet. Boston is closing the gap on the Cubs, who currently have baseball's best 2017 World Series odds at 15/4. Here are the current odds for all 30 clubs, again per Bovada:
- Cubs: 15/4
- Red Sox: 11/2
- Nationals: 9/1
- Indians: 12/1
- Astros: 12/1
- Dodgers: 14/1
- Yankees: 14/1
- Giants: 14/1
- Mets: 18/1
- Blue Jays: 20/1
- Cardinals: 25/1
- Mariners: 25/1
- Rangers: 25/1
- Orioles: 28/1
- Tigers: 28/1
- Royals: 33/1
- Pirates: 40/1
- White Sox: 66/1
- Marlins: 66/1
- Braves: 75/1
- Rockies: 75/1
- Angels: 75/1
- Rays: 75/1
- Brewers: 100/1
- Athletics: 100/1
- Diamondbacks: 100/1
- Reds: 100/1
- Twins: 100/1
- Phillies: 100/1
- Padres: 100/1
The Cardinals at 25/1 stand out to me as a pretty nice bet, assuming they find a true center fielder and beef up the bullpen a little bit this offseason.
