Online sports betting in the United States is growing in popularity year after year, according to data. 

Nevada has always been the home of betting in the United States, but New Jersey is the biggest outside of the Sin City state. This is partly down to gambling laws in the state being among the least restrictive in the country.

Then, in 2018, New Jersey won a lawsuit that dismantled Nevada’s monopoly on legal sports betting. 2018 data on NJ gambling shows that the handle in September 2018 that year was $183 million – ie at the start of the NFL season.

12 months later and that handle increased nearly three-fold – up to a staggering $445 million. That increased month on month for the remainder of the year during the NFL regular season and still more money was bet in the play-off and Super Bowl months of January and February, than the start of the season.

Data in February 2020 suggested the popularity continued to rise, with $494 million handled in New Jersey alone, compared to $320 million 12 months earlier when the New England Patriots beat the Los Angeles Rams in a quiet NFL season finale.

Who knows what will happen for the remainder of this year with the disruption that has taken place, but with the NFL season set to continue as per normal later this year, don’t be surprised if those figures increase once again. The NHL and NBA are looking to restart their seasons in the coming months, too.

New Jersey is not alone – Pennsylvania saw bigger increases year-on-year between the last two Super Bowls, whilst Mississippi, Rhode Island and West Virginia all followed suit. As of today, sports betting is legal in 18 different US states and a recent bill has been passed in a further five. The most recent state to legalise sports betting was Colorado, in May this year.

In fact, only Idaho, Wisconsin and Utah have no bill at all, meaning that in a couple of years from now sports betting could be legal in all but these three states.

As more and more American states legalise online gambling then the more you can expect its interest to increase. It’s even more accessible today than ever previous, allowing punters to place in-play bets on any sport they are watching on TV – whether it’s college football, hockey or basketball. And with a smartphone or tablet hand it’s easy to understand why this is a popular phenomenon.

Draft Kings and Fan Duel are other popular games, somewhat unique to the US, in that they allow fans to bet on fantasy football too, a very popular pastime, particularly on Sundays when NFL action takes place across three different time slots.

Regardless of expectations, just about every MLB club is always fighting for a chance to punch a ticket to the playoffs. We’ve taken that data and put it up against current playoff odds to see who has taken the biggest climbs and the greatest falls.

These odds should be taken with a small grain of salt because of one word… October. However, it’s interesting to note how drastic of a change can happen so late in the season.

All numbers on playoff odds are sourced from ESPN.

Boston Red Sox

Playoff Odds on 3/21: 90.6%

Playoff Odds on 8/16: 5.5%

The only time Boston was under .500 last year happened on Opening Day when they lost to the Tampa Bay Rays. They went on to win 17 of their next 18 games, and the rest was history. But this year? The Red Sox have had to fight to get and keep themselves over .500.

Both sides of the ball have struggled to start 2019, but it’s the pitching staff that’s really been their downfall. David Price and Hector Velazquez are the only two of three hurlers with at least four starts who own an ERA south of 5.00. And although things have gotten a little better lately, Chris Sale has been the poster child for these struggles. Boston fans are anything but deterred as there has been a surge of online betting statistics, as well as some interesting promotional codes like on sites like DRF Bets bonus code, that indicate that the true blue (or should I say, red) don’t believe their team is out of contention.

It’ll be interesting to see how if the Red Sox can kick it into high gear as they currently look up at the New York Yankees — who have performed well despite an incredible number of injuries — and the Rays. Their chances of clinching a wildcard victory are still good because of how the rest of the American League has played out, but it’s going to be a lot harder for them than many initially thought.

Washington Nationals

Playoff Odds on 3/21: 78.8%

Playoff Odds on 8/16: 87.1%

In what was anticipated to be a deep and competitive National League East, the Nationals have been viewed as the overwhelming favorites. The race has been tight, and remains so, but the nationals have thrilled fans and won over critics, eeking by the Cubbies with only 1 more win in the regular season:

Washington was hit with the injury bug a bit — they missed Anthony Rendon, Trea Turner, and Juan Soto for considerable periods of time during this season.

The bullpen had it’s struggles early on. Their 6.41 bullpen ERA and collective 64.1% strand rate were both the worst in baseball, along with an 11.3% walk rate that’s among the league’s 10 worst ‘pens.

So much for early season slumps. The Nationals turned it around and are leading the charge headed into October.

Oakland Athletics

Playoff Odds on 3/21: 29.9%

Playoff Odds on 8/16: 25.9%

The A’s are likely still basking in the glory of Mike Fiers’ second career no-hitter, as long ago as that seems. It didn’t completely erase a 17-21 start to this season, which had them in the AL West basement.

The Houston Astros, as expected, took the division once again, and they’ve only strengthened their playoff odds since Opening Day (currently 99.9%). However, Oakland seemed to have a chance in the Wildcard according to ESPN’s algorithms with only the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cleveland Indians out in front of them.

Cleveland Indians

Playoff Odds on 3/21: 94.7%

Playoff Odds on 6/18: 93.7%

As expected, the only real threat to Cleveland was the Minnesota Twins leaving this writer to join the bandwagon of Drew Carey Show fans in chanting, “Cleveland Rocks!”

While the roster did go through some weird changes during the winter, the Indians’ dominant starting rotation remained intact. Trevor Bauer and Shane Bieber have been solid, but Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco both kept ERAs over 5.00. With odds in their favor, Cleveland is out for an interesting Wildcard run.

Minnesota Twins

Playoff Odds on 3/21: 35.5%

Playoff Odds on 6/18: 97.0%

The Twins were a team we called out at prior to Opening Day, and their early-season performance certainly helped their chances of getting to October. The rotation performed quite well with Jose Berrios leading the way, but a revamped offense with a different approach has also been eye-opening.

There’s not much left to be said except, we’ll see you in the playoffs.

Tampa Bay Rays

Playoff Odds on 3/21: 29.9%

Playoff Odds on 6/18: 77.9%

The Red Sox and Yankees were initially expected to duke it out for the AL East crown, and they each entered 2019 with payrolls north of $200 million. Meanwhile, the Rays held on to second place despite opening the year with a payroll south of $70 million.

Baseball, man. Gotta love it.

Tampa Bay has been solid offensively, but it’s the starting rotation that’s truly hit another level. Blake Snell followed up his Cy Young performance with another terrific start, while Charlie Morton brought his success from Houston over to the Sunshine State, and Tyler Glasnow has opened some eyes himself.

The AL East was a compelling race to watch, and if the Red Sox can get themselves in gear, it’s a very real possibility that Boston, New York, and Tampa Bay could reach October this time around.

In Major League Baseball, no-hitters pop up 1-3 times a season. For those that don’t know, a normal no-hitter is recorded when the starting pitcher of record gets the win in a game where no hits and no runs were allowed. Theoretically, a run could be scored by a team without a hit, but it’s still a no-hitter. Theoretically, a pitcher could actually lose a game where no hits were allowed to the losing side. It’s still a no-hitter. These exceptions aside, 99.9% of all no-hitters are won by the pitcher that allow no hits and no runs.

Experienced sports bettors are always looking for a betting angle that might give them at least a temporary advantage. In the world of sports betting, unusual trends are likely to pop up out of nowhere. If you are a sports bettor who knows sometimes online bookmakers like MaxFreeBets.co.uk have an exclusive Betfred promo code, you may want to pay attention to the following information for future use.

Just this past week, Mike Fiers of the Oakland Athletics pitcher a complete game no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds. He got the win 2-0. It’s worth noting this was Fiers second career no-hitter with the first one coming on August 21, 2015. After beating the Reds last week, he returned to pitch very well against Seattle Mariners this past weekend. He didn’t get the decision in a 6-5 loss, but he only allowed 2 hits and 1 run in 5 innings before going to the bench.

The performance was good enough to prompt some research. Covering the last 10 no-hitters dating back to Fiers’ no-hitter in 2015, every single pitcher followed up their respective no-hitters with another dazzling performance. Collectively, there were only 35 hits and 12 runs given up in the next games by the pitchers who recorded the 10 no-hitters. That’s an average of 3.5 hits given up and 1.2 runs scored per game. That’s a truly remarkable stat.

Where’s the betting angle? In the next starts by the pitchers who pitched the 10 no-hitters, the game went under the total 7 times with one game landing on the total for a tie or push. The only follow-up games to go over the total came on April 28 of 2016 (Jake Arrieta no-hitter on April 21) when the Chicago Cubs scored 7 runs in a 7-2 victory with Arrieta getting the win after allowing only 3 hits and 1 run in 5 innings pitched. The other game to go over the total was the aforementioned game pitched this past weekend by Fiers, who himself pitched extremely well before the bullpen caved.

It doesn’t take a stats nerd to recognize that pitchers who pitch a no-hitter are usually in top form. There’s every reason to believe they would come back in the next game and continue pitching well. However, it’s near impossible to predict they would pitch as well as they have. The fact it leads to a trend where the under has a record of 7-2-1 is worthy of serious consideration in the future. An opportunity to play into this trend might only come once more this year, but the betting alert has been sounded.

How exactly do you compensate someone who has already outproduced more than half of current National Baseball Hall of Fame members despite being just 27 years old? Handsomely, as we found out Tuesday when news of Mike Trout’s agreement on a contract extension with the Los Angeles Angels broke. Angels fans were shocked by the move, but very pleased. Reports are that fans were rushing to use their Betfair promo code to wager on the Angels for the 2019 season.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan was first to report the record-setting agreement, which comes out to a 12-year, $430 million contract for the two-time American League MVP. Further reports have mentioned Trout will play out the final two years of his current six-year, $144.5 million contract before this new deal takes effect. So, this essentially means the Angels are agreeing to pay their outfielder $363.5 million in new money.

This comes not even three weeks after Bryce Harper’s $330 million payday with the Philadelphia Phillies, which ended up being a short-lived record.

Any way you slice it, $430 million is an incredible amount of money. Could it still be a bargain by the time his age-38 season rolls around in 2029, though? The answer to that question is yes.

Thanks to the projection models over at FanGraphs, there’s also proof to back up that claim, as Ben Gellman-Chomsky pointed out on Twitter. FanGraphs has three different scenarios with which we can project a player’s future performance: aging well, aging normally, and aging poorly.

You can see how each of these scenarios would play out in Ben’s tweet, but here are the pictures so you can see them side by side.

First, if Trout ages well:

Next is Trout aging normally (well, for Mike Trout, at least):

Lastly, here’s what it’d look like if Trout ages poorly and the end of his contract isn’t nearly as enjoyable as the first portion of his career:

Let’s not forget that each of these fWAR totals is on top of what he’s already produced since debuting in 2011. If he beats the normal aging curve, Trout could finish his age-38 campaign with 173.2 career fWAR. That number would drop to 164.2 if he ages normally, and it “plummets” to 147.7 if he ages poorly.

Things can obviously go haywire compared to these projections (after all, they’re called projections for a reason). But still, using this as a guide makes for an eye-popping observation. Below is a table of the top five players in baseball history when using fWAR as the benchmark:

Basically, FanGraphs is projecting Trout to finish this contract as the fifth-best player in baseball history when accounting for their worst-case scenario. The Angels would also almost double their money in that scenario when looking at the value of Trout’s performance.

If there’s any player in baseball that deserves this huge payday, it’s Trout. By the way he’s been producing, though, this could end up being viewed as a steal for Los Angeles. And that’s even more crazy to think about.

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Even though the winter seemed to creep by at a slow pace, we saw some gaudy contract numbers eventually get tossed around. Manny Machado and Bryce Harper both became $300 million players, and Nolan Arenado set a record for average annual value. Let’s also not forget that Patrick Corbin turned a career year into a $140 million payday with the Washington Nationals.

Coincidentally enough, only one of them ends up on the 2019 All-Money Team. According to Spotrac’s payroll salary rankings, the following 11 ballplayers all have the honor of bringing home the most bacon at their respective positions by the time October rolls around. If you’re looking to put your money where your mouth is, then you can use your SugarHouse Sportsbook bonus code to place a wager on any of these big-money players’ teams during the 2019 Major League Baseball season.

Catcher: Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants

2019 Salary: $22.178 million

Sitting at the top of his position from an annual salary standpoint is a familiar feeling for the Giants’ backstop. He, Yadier Molina, and Russell Martin are the only three catchers in baseball making at least $20 million in 2019, with Yasmani Grandal checking in at fourth with his $16 million salary.

This past year was a weird one for Posey. A hip injury limited him to 105 games, 448 plate appearances, and 2.0 fWAR. It was the first time all three of those numbers were that low since 2011. Between these two occurrences, Posey never played in fewer than 140 games and was worth at least 4.0 fWAR on five occasions.

His power bottomed out in 2018 (five homers and a .098 ISO), which could be blamed on the hip injury. This is something that’s been going on for quite some time, though. Since slugging 22 homers with a .179 ISO in 2014, those numbers have gone down each following year.

One would probably imagine that he’d be struggling at the plate in San Francisco compared to being on the road, but not so much last year. In 212 home plate appearances, Posey posted a 149 wRC+ with a .136 ISO, compared to a 68 wRC+ and .065 ISO in 236 road plate appearances.

First Base: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers

2019 Salary: $30 million

This upcoming season is the second of six consecutive years in which Miguel Cabrera will earn at least $30 million. Despite a decrease in production compared to earlier in his career, he’s not sorry about it, either.

We’ve already talked about Miggy quite a bit this winter, and we’ve also done so recently. One of the many things to watch with the veteran first baseman will be his performance against curveballs. He struggled against that offering in 2017 to the tune of a .265 OPS, .034 ISO, 29.0% strikeout rate, and -22 wRC+. Despite the small sample size in 2018, those numbers all improved drastically to .747, .143, 18.2%, and 115, respectively.

However, Cabrera posted those numbers against curveballs despite a 70.6% ground-ball rate and 11.8% fly-ball rate (48.8% and 22.0% in ’17, respectively).

Second Base: Robinson Cano, New York Mets

2019 Salary: $24 million

Robinson Cano also takes his customary spot at the top, but is doing it in a new uniform this year. The gap between him and second place is interesting to note, as well. Dustin Pedroia is the league’s second-highest earner at the keystone, making $15.125 million this year with the Boston Red Sox.

It’s easy to see the concerns here — Cano is entering his age-36 campaign and is still fresh off last year’s PED suspension. The 80 games he played in was the lowest single-season total of his career. He had never played in fewer than 122 games during a single year, which happened all the way back in 2006. On the flip side, though, Cano’s body might be as fresh as it’s ever been since debuting with the New York Yankees in 2005.

As a ground-ball-heavy hitter, Cano’s rate of contact within the strike zone and his quality of contact will both be important stats to watch. His 92.3% contact rate on strikes was among the top-30 in baseball for players with at least 300 plate appearances last year, while his 41.5% hard-hit rate was a single-season career high.

Shortstop: Elvis Andrus, Texas Rangers

2019 Salary: $15.25 million

Technically, Troy Tulowitzki could be at the top of the shortstop money list. However, it’s time for some different faces, plus him getting released by the Toronto Blue Jays and picked up by the Yankees for the league minimum made this switch possible.

The Rangers shortstop appeared in 97 games during the 2018 season, which was easily a career-low mark. It was the first time he appeared in fewer than 145 games as a big-leaguer (he debuted in 2009). The most notable part of Andrus’ 2017 season was his homer binge. He launched 20 dingers, which was the first time he reached double digits in a single year. It was also more than his combined homers hit from 2014-16.

Despite the general lack of opportunity, Andrus only slugged six dingers last year, which was more in line with his career norms. With a fly-ball rate that typically hovers around 30-31%, it’s imperative for him to take advantage of the balls he does get in the air. In 2017, the 30-year-old posted a 146 wRC+, .500 ISO, and 36.1% hard-hit rate on fly balls. Those numbers all decreased significantly this past year to 11, .235, and 26.2%, respectively.

Third Base: Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies

2019 Salary: $26 million

Even if Arenado didn’t get the huge eight-year contract he just signed with the Rockies, his 2019 salary would’ve landed him at the top of the hot corner money rankings. It’s about time, too — the third baseman has been a steal from a value perspective for Colorado for quite some time.

While there was a distinct difference between his home numbers (161 wRC, 1.105 OPS) and road numbers (104 wRC+, .772 OPS), he was rather consistent for most of 2018. His monthly wRC+ production dipped below 100 just once (97 in August) and was above 114 in every other calendar month. The same could be said for his power production — Arenado’s ISO fell below .200 in only one month (August again, .143).

He’s led the National League in homers three times, RBI twice, and hasn’t let any other NL third baseman win a Gold Glove award since debuting in 2013. Seems as if this guy is the whole package, and the Rockies don’t have to worry about the Yankees or anyone else trying to steal him from them next winter.

Left Field: Yoenis Cespedes, New York Mets

2019 Salary: $29 million

It’s probably shocking to hear this, but the Mets’ long-term commitment to Yoenis Cespedes hasn’t worked out so far. Through the first two seasons of his four-year, $110 million contract, Cespedes has suited up for just 119 games, leading to 478 plate appearances. And as he recovers from surgery on both heels, it’s unknown how much time he’ll miss this season.

They have been abbreviated campaigns, but Cespedes has turned to a heavy fly-ball approach since 2017. He posted a 49.6% fly-ball rate in ’17, followed by a 52.6% rate this past year. The outfielder did pair that first number with a 42.2% hard-hit rate, which proceeded to drop to 33.3% in ’18.

He also struggled within the strike zone, evidenced by an elevated swinging-strike rate (13.5%) and strikeout rate (31.8%). It’s worth noting that those struggles happened mostly in April, where he owned a 38.1% strikeout rate. Despite accruing just 39 plate appearances in May before having his season end prematurely, his strikeout rate was back down to 17.9%, which is much more like Cespedes’ career norms.

Center Field: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels

2019 Salary: $34.083 million

Mike Trout is the highest-paid position player in baseball, but it is the very definition of a bargain. I mean, what else can you say about a 27-year-old that could already get elected to the Hall of Fame if his career ended today?

Since debuting in 2012, Trout has posted an fWAR of at least 9.0 on five different occasions. When using FanGraphs’ Dollars metric, his performance have been worth at least $65 million on six different occasions. The one time it didn’t happen was in 2017, when his 6.9 fWAR was worth “just” $54.9 million due to hitting the injured list for the first time in his career.

Trout’s plate discipline continues to improve as well. After posting an 11.8% walk rate in 2014, that number has increased in each of the following four years, culminating with a career-high 20.1% clip in ’18. He’s also found a way to increase his wRC+ and OPS in each of the last three years. The dude is just not human.

Right Field: Jason Heyward, Chicago Cubs

2019 Salary: $22.5 million

Jayson Heyward brings value to the Cubs, but there’s no doubt the front office wished they could’ve taken this money and awarded it to Bryce Harper on an annual basis for the foreseeable future. He’s won two Gold Gloves during his first three years in Chicago, but the offensive side of his game hasn’t gone well.

The 29-year-old posted a career-high 5.6 fWAR with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2015. In three seasons with the Cubs, his combined fWAR is 4.0. He’s never been one to light up the quality-of-contact leaderboards on a consistent basis, but his soft-contact rate has been incredibly high since arriving at Wrigley. That number hasn’t been lower than 25.0% during his current contract.

Fastballs haven’t typically been a problem for Heyward — it’s secondary pitches. The curveball was especially tough on him in 2018. He produced a -15 wRC+ against that offering last year, along with a .286 OPS, and 25.0% infield-fly rate.

Designated Hitter: Albert Pujols, Los Angeles Angels

2019 Salary: $28 million

Albert Pujols’ offense wasn’t quite as bad in 2018 as it was in 2017, but it was still below average. It was also the second consecutive year in which he produced a negative fWAR. However, it is interesting that his 42.4% hard-hit rate hadn’t been that high since 2010, while his 22.3% line-drive rate hadn’t been that high since 2008.

The Machine’s declining performance on fly balls isn’t helpful, though. Since posting a 185 wRC+ for this batted-ball event in 2015, that number has gone down each year that’s followed, bottoming out at 88 in ’18. Of the four months he suited up for last year, Pujols produced an overall wRC+ above 87 just once, when it settled in at 153 during the month of July.

Everyone knew this contract would be a mess toward the end, and that’s exactly what’s happening. He’s under contract through 2021, with his salaries increasing to $29 million in ’20 and $30 million ’21 before reaching free agency again.

Starting Pitcher: Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals

2019 Salary: $38.33 million

It’s weird not seeing Clayton Kershaw here, right? Strasburg actually barely beats out teammate Max Scherzer, whose payroll salary comes in just shy of $34.5 million for the 2019 season. The Nationals’ former top overall pick threw just 130 innings last year, but continues to be an above-average rotation contributor.

What’s changed rather drastically over the years is a decreasing reliance on his fastball. After tossing it at a 63.4% clip in 2015, that number has dropped to 51.9% each of the last two years. Strasburg’s changeup (19.9%) and curveball (19.6%) have seen an uptick in usage as a result.

They’ve both been elite weapons for him. Over the last three years, each offering has generated a strikeout rate of at least 40.0% and an opponent wRC+ no higher than 70. Opposing hitters have also failed to post an ISO above .100 on either pitch for the last two years.

Relief Pitcher: Kenley Jansen, Los Angeles Dodgers

2019 Salary: $19.33 million

Kenley Jansen’s overall production certainly took a step back in 2018 compared to the two years prior. After enjoying two straight seasons with a 40.0%-plus strikeout rate, 3.0-plus fWAR, and sub-2.00 ERA, those numbers settled in at 28.4%, 0.4, and 3.01, respectively.

This year is important to Jansen for all the obvious reasons, but also with regard to his contract. The five-year deal he signed to stay in Los Angeles includes player opt-outs in each of the final two seasons. If the 31-year-old has hopes of re-entering the free-agent market (who would if they don’t have to right now?), then that dominance he’s previously shown needs to return.

Based on how the last two winters have gone, the MLB Hot Stove we’ve always known and loved has fundamentally changed.

It’s the only reason why we can explain this year’s top free agents — Manny Machado and Bryce Harper — didn’t sign new deals until spring training was already underway. And let’s not forget about the growing number of veterans either still out of work or accepting non-guaranteed deals. What’s transpired has also urged some of today’s top talent, like Luis Severino and Aaron Nola, to agree to extensions that appear as though they’ll end up being quite team-friendly.

Major League Baseball is a results-based business, so every year is important for those taking the field on a daily basis. Given the current labor climate, that level of importance increases even more for those on the brink of free agency. The following 10 ballplayers are currently set to hit the open market at the conclusion of the 2019 campaign. When it comes to their ultimate earning power and the kind of contract they’ll have a chance to receive, their performance over the next six or seven months will be crucial. If you are looking to bet on baseball, then these players are the ones to watch since they will be very motivated to perform in 2019. You can now participate in NJ Sports Betting since gambling on sports is now legal in the state.

Yasmani Grandal, Milwaukee Brewers

Although Yasmani Grandal’s current contract includes a mutual option for 2020, there’s a good chance he’ll be a free agent for the second consecutive offseason. He joins a handful of players on this list in that same situation, but it was by choice for the veteran catcher.

The former Los Angeles Dodger drew interest from at least the Minnesota Twins and New York Mets on a multi-year basis. He ultimately opted for Milwaukee’s one-year offer because he wanted to continue setting the standard for the top players at his position with regard to average annual value. He accomplished that by signing with the Brewers — his $16 million salary is fourth-highest in baseball among catchers despite the obvious gamble on himself.

The 30-year-old is looking for 2019 to be his fourth consecutive season of 20-plus homers, and being in Milwaukee for home games should help make that happen. Of his 24 homers from last year, 20 came as a left-handed batter, accompanied by a .240 ISO. According to Baseball Prospectus’ park factors by handedness, Miller Park was one of the best places to hit homers for left-handed sluggers in 2018.

Gerrit Cole, Houston Astros

Following a 5.5-fWAR performance with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2015, Gerrit Cole failed to approach those numbers in the two years that followed. He did that and then some in 2018 for the Astros, posting a 2.88 ERA and 1.03 WHIP with a 34.5% strikeout rate and 8.0% walk rate. This production led to a 6.3 fWAR and a top-five finish in AL Cy Young voting.

Probably one of the most drastic changes in this career year was a drop in ground-ball rate. Cole had never seen that number dip below 45.6% in a single season before 2018, when it settled in at 36.0%.

Instead of accepting what the Astros wanted to pay him this year, Cole went to arbitration and beat Houston, winning the right to earn $13.5 million in 2019 (he earned $6.75 million last year). The right-hander has a mostly solid track record and pedigree since debuting in 2013. His recent uptick in production likely would’ve played well if he was a free agent this past winter (look at how that worked out for Patrick Corbin).

Cole doesn’t necessarily need to repeat what he just did, but he needs to show it’s somewhat sustainable to get close to the payday agent Scott Boras will likely be searching for.

Jose Abreu, Chicago White Sox

When strictly looking at counting stats, Jose Abreu has been very consistent. He’s notched at least 20 homers each season since debuting in 2014 and has also added 100-plus RBI to that on four different occasions. His 22 dingers and 68 RBI were both single-season career lows in 2018, but those weren’t the only things that took a dip.

Abreu watched his wRC+ (114), OPS (.798), and fWAR (1.2) drop to career-low marks, too. His batted-ball profile didn’t show much change outside of a .294 BABIP, which was also a career low (it had never been below .327 in a single season prior to ’18). So it seems as if tough luck played a part in some of Abreu’s decreased production.

He at least had himself a strong second half after struggling before the All-Star break. Having a typical year at the plate will be even more important this year because of both his looming free agency and role on the White Sox. Abreu has never been a stellar defender, but Chicago’s acquisition of Yonder Alonso will push him to designated hitter much more often than before.

Sure, a universal designated hitter may be on the horizon. However, the 32-year-old’s earning power could take even more of a hit if his time on the field gets significantly decreased and his offense doesn’t bounce back.

Matt Harvey, Los Angeles Angels

Toward the end of 2015, most would’ve laughed at starting pitcher Matt Harvey settling for a one-year, $11 million contract in his first trip through free agency. Unfortunately, injuries combined with some poor off-field choices in New York have completely changed the trajectory of his career.

After getting traded early in 2018 to the Cincinnati Reds, Harvey mostly looked like a serviceable MLB starter again. Over 128 innings, he hurled a 4.50 ERA with a 1.25 WHIP, 20.6% strikeout rate, 5.2% walk rate, and 1.5 fWAR. Those were (mostly) all vast improvements compared to what he did with the Mets in injury-shortened seasons of 2016 and 2017.

The upcoming campaign is crucial for all the obvious reasons — he gets another fresh start in a new city (and league), will be starting every fifth day, and has another chance to recoup some value before re-entering the market. Two things he’ll need to get under control to have a successful year include his hard-hit rate (38.9% in ’18, increased each year since ’13) and his homers allowed per nine innings (1.57 in ’18 and 2.04 in ’17).

It took longer than anyone would’ve expected, but 26-year-old outfielder Bryce Harper and his agent, Scott Boras, got the record-setting payday they were searching for.

As virtually everyone is aware of by now, Harper is a Philadelphia Phillie after signing a 13-year, $330 million contract. This deal includes a no-trade clause, which isn’t shocking, but it also doesn’t include any opt-outs, which is typically a staple for Boras clients. It turns out the left-handed slugger didn’t want one. Heck, after going through a long and drawn-out free-agent process this past winter, who could blame him?

He just barely beat out Giancarlo Stanton’s 13-year, $325 million contract that he signed with the Miami Marlins back in 2014. And while the ink has barely dried on Harper’s new deal, the record he just set probably won’t stand for very long. Baseball fans are already making wagers about the next big baseball moves on bet-michigan.com and other online sports books.

The following eight MLB players have, at the very least, a chance of surpassing that $330 million benchmark. In some cases, it will be more of a no-brainer than others — and this is by no means an exhaustive list — but the conversation is valid to a degree for all of them.

Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels

Um…duh. Trout had to be mentioned first on this list because it would’ve been disrespectful if he wasn’t. Mere days after Harper’s deal with the Phillies became official, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that the Angels have considered offering the face of their franchise a 10-year, $350 million deal.

Based on what Trout has accomplished since 2012, this offer feels like more of a starting point than an end point. He’s racked up seven All-Star Game appearances, six Silver Slugger awards, the 2012 American League Rookie of the Year, and two AL MVPs. Oh, and five other top-five finishes in MVP voting (four second-place finishes).

As we mentioned in an article from earlier this winter, the best way to show how much better Trout has been than the rest of baseball is by looking at his fWAR. Here’s an excerpt from that piece:

Entering 2019, his fWAR is 16.9 wins greater than Joey Votto. The distance between Trout and second place is the same as it is from second place to 18th place, which is where Freddie Freeman is taking up residence (30.8 fWAR).

Trout will be pushing 30 years old if Los Angeles doesn’t lock him up prior to his walk year, and teams are more averse to these kinds of contracts for the second half of a player’s career. However, there are no signs of Trout slowing down — he’s actually getting better in some respects.

The 2018 season was his third 9.0-plus fWAR performance in the last four years and his third straight 20-20 season, along with setting single-season career highs in walk rate (20.1%), wRC+ (191), OPS (1.088), and hard-hit rate (44.4%).

Juan Soto, Washington Nationals

Losing Harper to a division rival certainly stings, but it’s not as if the Nationals aren’t expected to contend for a postseason spot this year. The presence of Juan Soto is a big reason for this, and Washington would’ve been a lot worse than its 82-80 record last year without him.

What’s crazy is that he spent 116 games in the big leagues in 2018 despite starting the year in Single-A ball. In fact, Soto’s career minor-league plate appearances (512) is barely more than the big-league plate appearances (494) he just accrued.

Every number from Soto’s stellar rookie campaign is impressive, whether it’s the 3.7 fWAR, 146 wRC+, or .923 OPS. However, his 16.0% walk rate is easily the most eye-popping of all. It’s not every day we get to see a then-19-year-old rookie show off that kind of plate discipline. His 21.9% chase rate would’ve ranked 12th in baseball had he qualified for the batting title. He actually finished just a hair beyond some fellow named Mike Trout (21.8%).

There’s still plenty of work ahead for Soto as he prepares for his sophomore season. But still, it’s hard to not be making comparisons with Harper, who was the Nats’ last 19-year-old superstar. If Soto can find a way to keep progressing, Washington may have another big contract decision to make in a few years with, yup, you guessed it — another Scott Boras client (at the moment, at least).

Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs

Putting Bryant on this list is one of the riskiest calls based off the 2018 he just had and the fact that he’s currently slated to hit free agency at the age of 30. His prior track record is sparkling enough to withstand one tough year that was slowed by a shoulder injury, though.

The third baseman already has an NL Rookie of the Year Award, two All-Star Game appearances, an NL MVP, and of course, a World Series title to his name since debuting in 2015. Despite not displaying his typical power last year (13 homers and .188 ISO in 457 plate appearances), he still managed to produce a 125 wRC+ and 2.3 fWAR.

While he missed 60 games in ’18, Bryant’s 23.1 total fWAR since the start of 2015 is the best among all third baseman. He’s also only three months younger than Nolan Arenado, who just cashed in on a huge payday from the Colorado Rockies. Bryant still has some time before hitting the open market, but 2019 will be crucial to how the rest of his tenure with the Cubs goes.

Can he bounce right back and prove he’s still worthy of such a huge financial commitment? His 1.160 OPS through 17 spring-training at-bats tells us that will probably be the case. A key for the soon-to-be 28-year-old is his quality of contact. After posting hard-hit rates of 37.5% and 40.3% in his first two big-league seasons, that number decreased to 32.8% and 31.2% in the last two.

Aaron Judge, New York Yankees

Judge is even more of a borderline case here because of his age. He’s the same age as Harper and Machado, yet isn’t set to hit free agency until the 2022 season is done (his age-30 campaign). That alone may prevent him for getting $330-plus million, but his potential production could sure make it an interesting debate.

Injuries limited him to 27 homers in 498 plate appearances last year. If he stepped into the batter’s box closer to the 678 times he did as a rookie, though, he could’ve had a shot at another season of 40-plus homers. The 2019 campaign will be crucial for Judge because it’s his platform year before heading through the arbitration process.

If he can stay healthy and put up more monster numbers, one has to imagine he’ll break some kind of record for a first-time arbitration-eligible player. That’s especially the case since he’s not a one-dimensional slugger — he’s been worth at least 5.0 fWAR each of the last two seasons with a wRC+ of at least 140, along with 23 total Defensive Runs Saved as a right fielder during this time.

Playing games could be relaxing, more so when you always win. But in order to win, you need to focus on your games because when you are anxious about something, it gets you distracted. The magnitude of the distraction depends on what kind of problem you are anxious about. But what if your distraction is minding so much about your massive debts? How do you do about it? How can you keep your focus on your games when you have this kind of problem? This blog discusses some tips in order for you to cease and desist becoming problematic about your debts.

Focus on the Here and Now

Focusing is really hard especially when you are preoccupied with your loans. But the only way to maintain your focus is by setting an order of priority. When you are playing games, stop thinking about your debts. Most people have a tendency to think about their problems while they are doing something. As a result, the current task fails and you turned out to be more disappointed. To avoid this from happening, do not mix up what you feel with what you do. Besides, you cannot solve your debt while doing your tasks or playing games so why mix it up. Mind over matter. Mind your debts before or after the game.

Make a Concrete Action Plan to Pay your Debts

People are usually anxious about something because they feel that they do not have a hold or control over things. They might be overwhelmed and may not anymore recover from it. This anxiety is often caused by not planning because planning may give you a sense of control. In response, make a concrete action plan or strategy in paying off your debt. In your plan, determine which among your debts have the highest interest and with the lowest amount of term payments. Match it with your current income, and make a schedule of payment in terms. Upon doing this, you will realize that paying your debt, how massive it can be, is still doable and achievable. Hence, you will have less anxiety and focus on your game.

Take Action Now

It is not enough that you make an action plan, you have to take action as you planned. Besides, that is why it is called an “action plan.” When you plan to pay your debts according to the order of priority, make sure to pay the terms religiously. Prioritize paying your debts over unnecessary spending of wants. Only buy things that you need. This is called “delayed gratification.” Of course, part of your action plan is to increase your income because your income might not be able to cover all the things that you need. Maybe your income can cover only your debts, but how about your necessities? As always, the best formula is to reduce your expenses and increase your income.

Have Discipline

Your plan and action will only work if you have the discipline enough to control your bad habits and continue your good habits. There may be times when people might taunt or ridicule you for being frugal and may brand you as materialistic when you have a lot of extra income. You might be carried away and go back to where you were. Do not mind them. You cannot control what they might say about you but you have complete control over your thoughts, feelings, and actions. Therefore, the only person who can discipline you is only you.

Conclusion

When you know what to do about your problems, especially paying off your massive debts, then it gives you more confidence in doing your other activities such as games. In games, though it is only for leisure, it provides you with a certain level of rest and recreation. Thus, when you mixed up being preoccupied with your debts while playing games, it is definitely stressful. Meanwhile, in order to stay focused, you have to do the following. Have an order of priority, make plan paying your debt and do it, take some sacrifices and discipline yourself. By following these, you are changing yourself for the better. Many of your potentials may be harnessed and you may be able to overcome your stresses in life. Enjoy life to the fullest.

There is a wide range of bets you can make to endeavor to create a benefit. A few diversions, for example, the spaces are down to nothing but fortunes and others include a component of aptitude to build odds of winning.

For example, sports wagering. New online gambling clubs ordinarily keep running on irregular number generator programming which implies that a program race to guarantee an arbitrary arrangement of numbers alongside delivering the house edge required to make clubhouse gainful.

Betting, then again, is viewed as a type of gambling. All the more correctly, betting is tied in with foreseeing the probability of a future occasion and putting money on it (mostly, to get a “casino bonus“).

Authoritatively, Betting is distinguished as a composed business action between two gatherings – there is one that predicts an outcome and puts down a wager and the other who either relinquishes the bet or pays the concurred cash to the player. At the point when the chance is included, compensate rapidly pursues.

Numerous games fans love to put down a bet as a source of pure entertainment. This isn’t the primary choice out there for those that need to strike it fortunate, however, as you can likewise bet in an online clubhouse.

We look at some of the key differences that help understand the contrasts between Sports Betting and Online Casinos

The Primary Difference (By Definition)

As Betting alludes to foreseeing the result of a future occasion, individuals who put down wagers endeavor to win cash via cautiously anticipating the outcome of a Betted occasion. While Betting isn’t so hazardous and unsure, gambling then again depends altogether on the hypothesis of likelihood. At the point when individuals bet, their outcomes shift among wins and setbacks, which is the reason most players would concur betting offers preferable fervor over the betting does.

The House Edge: A Key Difference

One of the first contrasts between casino-based gambling and sports betting is the way that casino amusements have a “House Edge.” This is the measure of benefit the house is set to make on each game played over the long haul. Without this setup, the casinos would leave business as it is the sole factor that guarantees huge profit margins.

The “Jackpot”

The Jackpot Prizes at on online/offline based casino games are much bigger, and they are offered more routinely than those by games bookmakers (or “bookies”). This is because online gambling casino original cash games have devoted and consistent big stakes like casino bonus rounds. There are big stationary stakes which are accessible in each diversion, and after that, there are dynamic stakes which can pay out a great many dollars.

Conclusively, with everything taken into account, whichever way that you roll your cash online can be fulfilling. On the off chance that you adore sports, at that point, there are even sport-based casino recreations that you can peruse. There are such a large number of choices out there for you, all you need is a handset and Internet Access to avail them.