Darren Myers
- The Dodgers were the big winners at the trade deadline after acquiring All-Stars Manny Machado and Brian Dozier
- New York strengthened its already dominant bullpen by picking up Zach Britton and Lance Lynn
- It remains to be seen if Roberto Osuna will be welcomed into Houston’s tight-knit clubhouse
Major League Baseball’s non-waiver trade deadline turned out to be a red letter day for real estate agents as 43 players were dealt in a dizzying array of moves. Two-time Gold Glover Brian Dozier was traded to the Dodgers, two-time All-Star Chris Archer was dealt to the Pirates, and highly regarded hurler Kevin Gausman was shipped to the Braves all within a single, five-minute span.
If you blinked you may have missed the Orioles turning over a quarter of their roster, or the Yankees getting rid of prospects as though they were week old bananas.
We’ve carefully examined each and every deal and have come up with fresh odds for each team’s chances of winning the 2018 World Series.
2018 World Series Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Houston Astros | 5/1 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 6/1 |
| Boston Red Sox | 8/1 |
| New York Yankees | 9/1 |
| Chicago Cubs | 11/1 |
| Cleveland Indians | 12/1 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 20/1 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 20/1 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 25/1 |
| Atlanta Braves | 30/1 |
| Oakland Athletics | 30/1 |
| Seattle Mariners | 33/1 |
| Colorado Rockies | 35/1 |
| Washington Nationals | 40/1 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 50/1 |
| San Francisco Giants | 80/1 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 80/1 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 100/1 |
| Minnesota Twins | 500/1 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 500/1 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 500/1 |
| Detroit Tigers | 1000/1 |
| New York Mets | 1000/1 |
| FIELD | 1000/1 |
Trade Deadline Analysis
No team made a bigger splash at the deadline than the Dodgers, who drastically improved their infield with the acquisitions of All-Stars Manny Machado and Brian Dozier. Machado has been with LA since July 18th and is batting .286 with two home runs and five RBI after 12 games in Dodger blue. His ability to play both short stop and third will allow Dave Roberts to experiment with multiple line-ups when fellow All-Star Justin Turner returns from the DL later this month.
Dozier, meanwhile, is a huge upgrade over Logan Forsythe, who was batting just .207 as the Dodgers’ every day second baseman. “Doz” was an All-Star in 2015 and set an American League record for most home runs by a second sacker the following year when he clubbed 42 taters. His numbers are down a bit this season, but Dozier has a well-earned reputation for getting hot late in the year.
#Dodgers tried to get Brian Dozier instead of Logan Forsythe two years ago but wouldn’t give up Walker Buehler or Cody Bellinger in deal.
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) July 31, 2018
The Dodgers also made another solid under-the-radar move by picking up John Axford from the Blue Jays. The 35-year-old reliever saved a league-high 46 games for Milwaukee back in 2011 and is 4-1 this season with 50 strikeouts in 51 innings pitched. He’ll be used primarily against lefties in LA’s already deep pen.
LA’s savvy moves have improved their odds exponentially and make them the favorite to win their second straight National League pennant.
Should the Dodgers reach the World Series again, they’ll likely face the re-tooled Astros. Houston made one of the most controversial deadline deals when they acquired Roberto Osuna from the Blue Jays for Ken Giles and a pair of minor leaguers. No one questions Osuna’s electric stuff, but the 23-year-old is still serving a 75-game suspension for domestic violence that has greatly sullied his reputation.
Carlos Correa and Justin Verlander look so uncomfortable talking about Roberto Osuna being there new teammate…@astros
— Marcooo (@Don_Marcoo) July 31, 2018
The Astros insist they’ve done their due diligence on Osuna, but it will be interesting to see how he fits into the team’s tight-knit clubhouse. Fellow pitcher Justin Verlander has been very vocal in the past about his views on violence against women and has quietly expressed his reservations about the acquisition.
On a more positive note, the Astros also addressed their need at catcher by dealing for Angels backstop Martin Maldonado.The eighth-year pro earned a Gold Glove last season and will fill the void left by incumbent starter Brian McCann, who is recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery.
Another team that improved their odds considerably were the Yankees, who bolstered their shaky rotation with the acquisition of former All-Star JA Happ. The 35-year-old southpaw finished sixth in Cy Young balloting in 2016 and, perhaps more importantly, has a lifetime 2.98 ERA against the Red Sox.
Zach Britton, welcome to the Bronx. pic.twitter.com/3vAdcJUxeh
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 25, 2018
New York also fortified its already dominant bullpen by picking up Zach Britton from the Orioles and Lance Lynn from the Twins. Britton led the American League in saves in 2016 and appears to be rounding into form after missing much of the first half of the season while recovering from an Achilles injury. Lynn struggled with the Twins this season, but he’s won 15 or more games three times in his career and can provide excellent value as a spot starter or a long reliever.
The real issue for the Yankees now is injuries, as the team will likely be without Gary Sanchez and Aaron Judge until the end of August. Their absence couldn’t come at a worse time as the Red Sox are still firing on all cylinders and the Mariners and the A’s have emerged as bona fide Wild Card contenders.
Check back again soon as we provide updated odds for baseball’s stretch drive.
