Cubs & Red Sox Favored To Win 2017 World Series

With the start of MLB’s regular season less than six weeks away, it’s now a two-team tie atop the 2017 World Series futures market at Bodog Sportsbook, with the defending-champion Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox at +450 MLB odds.

After ending their long championship drought with their World Series win over the Cleveland Indians, the Chicago Cubs have had a quiet offseason. The team parted ways with their leadoff hitter, center fielder Dexter Fowler, who joined the rival St. Louis Cardinals as a free agent. The Cubs also saw how closer Aroldis Chapman signed a free agent contract with the New York Yankees, but they still have more than enough talent to justify their favoritism, and the newly-signed John Jay and Wade Davis, along with a full season of Kyle Schwarber makes them the team to beat once again.  Right now the Cubs are highly favored by most online sportsbooks to win the World Series.  In fact, you can use partnercode mybet to make a bet on the Cubs right now.  How fun would it be to wager on the Cubs and have them win their first World Series in over 100 years?

Contrary to the Cubs, the Red Sox have been extremely active in the winter, improving their World Series odds significantly after bolstering their starting rotation with the acquisition of former White Sox ace Chris Sale. Adding Sale to a rotation that already has Rick Porcello and David Price could be considered a game-changer in the American League, since the Boston starters ranked third in the league with a 4.00 ERA and 87 quality starts last season.

The American League champion Cleveland Indians closely trail the Cubs and Red Sox with +800 odds, followed by the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Washington Nationals at +1000. The Indians have to find a way to regroup after blowing a 3-1 series lead in the World Series against the Cubs and they seem to head in the right direction after signing star slugger Edwin Encarnacion. Cleveland finished 18th in home runs last season and adding the former Blue Jays first baseman/designated hitter for the next three years will help them. Encarnacion hit 42 home runs last season, leading the Blue Jays to the playoffs and the Indians hope he can do the same for them while helping strengthen the team’s main weakness.

The Los Angeles Dodgers also had a busy offseason. After winning the NL West for the fourth straight year and reaching the NLCS for the first time since 2013, the Dodgers worked hard to maintain the core of their team, resigning free agents Rich Hill, Kenley Jansen and Justin Turner, impact players that will help them compete for years to come. Los Angeles didn’t stop there and they also added second baseman Logan Forsythe and former Giants reliever Sergio Romo.

The Washington Nationals won the NL East last season before getting eliminated by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS. The Nationals haven’t moved past the NLDS in their last three playoff appearances and they didn’t make the right moves to improve their roster. Washington signed catchers Derek Norris and Matt Wieters to replace the production of Wilson Ramos, who joined the Rays, and they traded top prospects Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez to the White Sox for center fielder Adam Eaton but they didn’t address their biggest need, a closer, failing to re-sign Mark Melancon or add Kenley Jansen or Greg Holland.

After barely reaching the playoffs last year, the San Francisco Giants have strong +1200 MLB odds and with their solid rotation and the addition of closer Mark Melancon, they’re a dangerous team in the NL West.

The Houston Astros (+1400) won just 84 games last season but signing Josh Reddick, Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran positions them as serious challengers to the Texas Rangers (+2800) in the AL West.

Here are the full odds to win the 2017 World Series:

Chicago Cubs: +450

 Boston Red Sox: +450

 Cleveland Indians: +800

 Los Angeles Dodgers: +1000

 Washington Nationals: +1000

 San Francisco Giants: +1200

 Houston Astros: +1400

 New York Mets: +1400

 Toronto Blue Jays: +2000

 St. Louis Cardinals: +2200

 Texas Rangers: +2800

 Baltimore Orioles: +3300

 Detroit Tigers: +3300

 New York Yankees: +2500

 Kansas City Royals: +3300

 Seattle Mariners: +3300

 Colorado Rockies: +4000

 Pittsburgh Pirates: +4000

 Chicago White Sox: +7500

 Los Angeles Angels: +7500

 Miami Marlins: +7500

 Tampa Bay Rays: +7500

 Arizona Diamondbacks: +10000

 Atlanta Braves: +10000

 Cincinnati Reds: +15000

 Milwaukee Brewers: +15000

 Minnesota Twins: +15000 

Oakland Athletics: +15000

 Philadelphia Phillies: +15000

San Diego Padres: +15000

Red Sox Get Busy Trading for Chris Sale

The exchange of four Red Sox players for Chris Sale has rocked the baseball world.  With this move, Sale will lead the top of  the Red Sox’s rotation next season. Dave Dombrowski saw an opportunity to add depth to the Red Sox pitching lineup and didn’t look back.  Boston now features a potentially dominant pitching lineup, and the team’s odds are already improving on the best MLB betting sites.

Sale has improved the level of his game and is currently the 12th best-ranked pitcher in Major League Baseball. The strategy of Sale was not considered very reliable, but with each won game, he made sure to be one of the greatest pitchers in the world. The great left arm pitcher is now a part of the Red Sox team, and they have made all possible efforts to make it happen.

The trading will be helpful for Red Sox and also will add some more records to Sale’s carrier. On the opportunity of having Sale in the team, Red Sox are very delighted. Even Dave spoke of getting this opportunity rarely that Sale is switched in some team to play in Boston. So now the matches are going to be epic with Sale on the other side of the ground. There are other right-handed pitchers in the tea, but Sale aces them all.

Sale has been reported of his aggressive nature with the team members and on the field but the efficiency in the game and the passion has made him the top of left-handed pitchers. The addition of Sale to the Red Sox team has made a great change in the next matches to come. The team of Red Sox has the best of pitchers including Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech and many potential high line pitchers.

The Red Sox captain makes the statement about not playing against Sale anymore and that the team is happy with him on this side of the field. The highest bid was made for Sale along with the other players added to the team. Sale has the record of 1244 strikeouts in approximately 1100 innings. Dave is suspected to be the architect in making the Red Sox and Sale tie up for the next innings in Boston.

Red Sox paid around $40 million to get Chris Sale on their side. The addition in Red Sox has been taken up with great pomp and show among both Red Sox and Sale’s fans. The coming innings are going to be the grand ones when Red Sox is having the top notch of rotation pitchers.

Chris Sale was top priced this time, and the dispute with White Sox has made him even more vulnerable to other teams. Dave is referred as the best baseball architect for making this trade of Sale and Red Sox happen. The games are about to change and get more exciting with the coming innings.

Legalizing Sports Betting: What does it require more to regularize?

Towards the later 2016, more speculations started gathering up about growth of sports betting primarily due to the US presidential election. Though, in many parts of the world such as the UK and Australia, sports betting is a legal affair, still its social and commercial impact is always discussed upon. From safe havens like Las Vegas and Macau to recently upcoming markets like India, experts have seemingly expressed a common intention towards legalization of sports betting.

Recently, a UK Online sportsbook RedZone Sports has offered a completely new betting game to the US sports buffs. Argyll Entertainment has also added new flavors for the gamers. According to a press release, Stuart Tilley, CEO of Argyll Entertainment said,

“Following the initial success of BetOn Brazil we want to take our same philosophy of having entertainment at the heart of everything we do and apply it to a US sports-themed gambling destination for the rapidly-growing number of UK customers who follow the NFL, NBA and other major US sports.”

We have many examples of successfully running sports betting with great execution and monitoring. UK online casino giant William also has introduced a few sports themed games with attractive offers where you can claim your welcome bonus with William Hill promotions!

The United States too is considering legalizing sports betting through Patent No. 0125691, though there are no immediate plans for this. Held by Microsoft, the patent application can prove to be a critical piece of a future that will enable widespread legal sports betting in the United States. The popular U.S.-based global cable and satellite television channel, ESPN conducted an extensive survey among various interested groups and came away with several key findings about the future of American sports betting. The survey report reveals that:

  • The U.S. Congress is reviewing federal gambling laws and may come away with a plan to introduce comprehensive legislation addressing sports betting, fantasy sports and other forms of online gaming.
  • This will open up avenues for some of the world’s largest tech companies to emerge as bookmaking giants, which will put a competition among the existing established U.S. and international sports-book operators.
  • High-stakes sports betting will be largely dominated by the use of robots, dynamic algorithms; microchips enabled devices and motion-tracking cameras, which are capable of capturing real-time data from athletes’ bodies.

However, the survey does not deny further spreading of gambling addiction and gambling-related advertising, which already have legal, social, economic and moral pitfalls.

Interestingly, conservative gaming markets such as India is now opening up to welcome sports betting. In a conference at Gangtok, former CBI Director Ranjit Sinha advocated on legalisation of sports betting and gaming as these are very popular among the people and have a massive revenue generation potential. Sinha said,

“With good regulation and responsible gaming, we can make it happen. Like it exists in Sikkim and helps increase revenue and employment in the state. “This (gaming/betting) industry has huge revenue generation potential, which can be seen in Sikkim and Goa.“

Whether or not to legalizing sports betting is a joint consensus by the various political, social, economical, and moral interests. However, one thing is sure that the gamers are going to have more options, variety and innovation in the future.

Interesting bets on sport that you can make via the Internet

Let’s study the bets in online bookmaker offices. The experience shows that you can get bigger profit than, for example, in the local bookmaker offices without websites.

The quantity of bookmaker offices where players can make bets via Internet has risen due to Internet development. The bets via Internet are suitable to everyone. It is very easy for player to make a bet and it is very economically for owners to have such online offices. There is no need to spend extra money for the rent of big office, for the salary to great number of workers, for the payments to authority, security, etc. It influences to the rise of the bets coefficients in turn. Undoubtedly, it is more profitable for players.

What is the player’s operations procedure? First of all, he needs Internet connection and the bank card or some of the popular Internet wallet. As usual, the most Internet users have already all these things. Further, you should only to register on the attracted to you website of bookmaker office. It takes about three minutes and you’ll see at your monitor all bookmaker bets.

So, the Internet area is developed by many bookmaker offices. The competition is very high. That’s why main bookmakers appreciate their name and reputation. Their business is under the full control of the state agencies.

You can also find lots of sport information such as news, statistics and forecasts in Internet which help the player to make a right decision.

There are no differences between online bookmaker offices and land based offices in their work process. You make a decision and bet. If the forecast is right you get a prize which equal to the bet multiplied to the coefficient.

As you know bookmaker offices are created not for the charity purposes. First of all, they want to have profit and they haven’t any similarity with different online casinos, slot machines or fraud lottery because the bookmaker offices can’t influence somehow to the final result of the match or other sport event. Only your intelligence, knowledge and ability to analyze can win in the game with bookmakers. Intuition mustn’t be dismissed too.

Frank Wren unlikely to be Red Sox GM

There has been some exasperation with fans this week suspecting that Frank Wren would be promoted to GM now that Mike Hazen has moved to Arizona. That news has been quieted today by Ken Rosenthal who commented that Wren is happy in his current job.

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Wren is much to similar in mold to Dave Dombrowski and would likely be a bad choice in the GM job, but that said he’s still a voice in the decision making and one that leans on the old school model of acquiring older players and ignoring data analysis.  How this move may potentially impact Online Baseball Betting has yet to be determined.

The Red Sox need a voice in the room aimed at breaking the mold and finding hidden talent and less on 30 year old players signed to big deals that will hurt the team when they hit 33 years of age. That said it’s not clear how much influence the new GM will have and if the team will stay in house or look outside.

Red Sox Eying Playoffs, Betts Eying MVP

Entering the final month of the season the Red Sox are poised to end their modest two-season playoff drought. Their odds of making the playoffs are looking pretty good at many online sportsbooks. The Sox find themselves in a nip-and-tuck race for the AL Eastern Division crown–which they won in 2013–and they are currently atop the wildcard standings–a postseason route that they have taken on seven previous occasions, which is of course how they got into the playoffs in 2004 and laid to rest the 86-year Curse of the Bambino.

One of the chief reasons the Red Sox are in such a good position and showing no signs of slowing down is the MVP caliber season of right fielder Mookie Betts. He now has more than 100 runs scored, he’s a cinch to go over 100 RBIs in the next few games, and he just slugged his 30th home run to go along with a top-five league batting average. The Angels Mike Trout is often thought of as the best player in the American League. But as the Angels continue to fade down the stretch, and the Red Sox surge, Betts has inserted himself as one of the MVP favorites. Plus, he’s still just 23 years old and only in his second full Big League season.

Per this website, the schedule also favors the Red Sox continued place in the standings as the calendar ticks over to September. They start the month off on the road against last place Oakland and nearly last place San Diego, before heading to Toronto for a series that could see them pass the Blue Jays for first place in the division. Regardless of what happens with the Sox in that series in Toronto, with two wildcard places up for grabs, Betway see them as favorites to make the postseason and battle it out for another trip to the World Series.

Almost as important as the Sox doing well and thinking about October baseball is the fading of the Yankees and their current fourth place standing. Plus the Sox still have seven games remaining with the Yankees including four at Fenway Park, so the Sox will hopefully get the honor of officially ending the Yankees’ fading playoff hopes and showing them the offseason door. So keep your eyes on the series slated for September 15th though the 18th.

If nothing else, this very good 2016 campaign for the Red Sox has cleansed the palate from the very disappointing 5th place finishes the previous two seasons.

What the Red Sox Need to Do to Reach The Playoffs This Season

The Boston Red Sox have enjoyed a very successful July this far and have won six of their nine games this month, including three straight wins over the Tampa Bay Rays. What makes this even more impressive is when you consider the mixed to disappointing June for the Olde Towne team in which they suffered 16 losses from the 21 games. The latest baseball betting tips suggest that Boston could have a very successful season. Let’s take a look at what the Red Sox need to do to reach the playoffs this season.

Boston will need all the momentum they’ve built up this month as they head to Yankee Stadium for three games against the New York team. The Sox are currently in better form than the Yankees but they shouldn’t take that for granted as they head into the crucial second half of the season. Boston are currently joint top of the Wild Card Teams with the Toronto Blue Jays, meanwhile they’re second in the American League East and are currently only two games behind current leaders the Baltimore Orioles. This makes the games against the games against the Yankees even more crucial as they’ll be looking to keep the pressure on the Orioles before they take a bigger lead and make the rest of the season very difficult.   

The Sox will then enjoy nine games at home in a row as they host the San Francisco Giants for two games, the Minnesota Twins for four and the Detroit Tigers for three. This will mark a series of very crucial games as the Red Sox fans will be looking on and expecting their team to make good on their home field advantage or else put the rest of the season into serious jeopardy. Following that, Boston finishes July with four away games against the Anaheim Angels. The Angels are currently struggling in 10th place of the Wild Card Teams, 13 games behind Boston. Meanwhile, Anaheim sit 5th in the American League West, 16 ½ games behind the Texas Rangers. This may well be the best time to play the Angels as they look bereft of confidence. Dare to dream Sox fans, as a series of impressive wins would mark a July that is as close to perfect as you can get in the world of baseball, furthermore, it could well prove to be a catalyst for the rest of the season.

It is also crucial to keep an eye on the teams around Boston. Arguably, the rest of the division has regressed or marginally improved between the end of last season and now, whereas the Red Sox have become a lot stronger with just a few key man management decisions. The major talking point is of course the appointment of Dave Dombowski as the new President of Baseball Operations who then signed David Price and Chris Young to replace receivers Craig Kimbrel and Carson Smith.  Price and Young with other Sox players Dustin Pedroia, Xander Bogaerts, Pablo Sandoval, Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr and Blake Swihart could very well make up the most dangerous team in all of baseball. Hold onto your hats, it’s going to be a hell of a ride.

Your Guide to MLB All-Star Week

There are only a few more days until the 2016 edition of MLB All-Star Week is upon us. The 87th All-Star game and the exciting events surrounding it are set to take place at Petco Park in San Diego from July 10 through July 12. Check out our exclusive All-Star Week guide below and enjoy all of the action in person, or from the comfort of your own home.

All-Star Game

Time: Tuesday, July 12 – 5:00 PM PDT

How To Watch:  Television – FOX, In Person: Find Tickets

What to Look For:

Hosted by the Padres for the third time, the 2016 All-Star Game will be the first time the game takes place in San Diego in almost 25 years. It will also be the first time the game is held at Petco Park, which opened in 2002.

Aside from the catcher (and possibly the starting pitcher), the entire starting infield for the National League team will be made up of Chicago Cubs players. That’s right, first baseman Anthony Rizzo, second baseman Ben Zobrist, shortstop Addison Russell, and third baseman Kris Bryant were all elected to start. Cubs outfielder Dexter Fowler and pitchers Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester were also elected to the National League squad.

Almost as impressive, the Boston Red Sox have six players who were elected to play in the All-Star Game, with Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley Jr., Mookie Betts, and Steven Wright all making their first appearance in the Midsummer Classic. Relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel will be making his fifth appearance, while designated hitter David Ortiz will be making his tenth trip to the game; not too shabby.

Home Run Derby

Time: Monday, July 11 – 5:00 PM PDT

How To Watch: Television – ESPN, In Person: Find Tickets

What to Look For:

This year’s Home Run Derby will feature the same rules introduced at last year’s derby. The competition will feature timed rounds and a head-to-head bracket, which makes the Home Run Derby much more exciting than it had been prior to 2015.

The official participation list has yet to be released, but fans can expect big names like Kris Bryant, Wil Myers, and Robinson Cano to take part in the event. Unfortunately, young sluggers Mike Trout and Bryce Harper both declined invitations to partake, and Giants ace Madison Bumgarner, who was fighting to participate, won’t be allowed to due to a decision by the MLBPA.

All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game

Time: Sunday, July 10 – Following the All-Star Futures Game (1 PM PDT)

How To Watch:  Television – ESPN (Airing Monday, July 11 immediately following Home Run Derby), In Person: Find Tickets

What to Look For:

A staple of All-Star Weekend since 2001, the All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game is set to feature a slew of big names in 2016. From former baseball greats, to Hollywood’s elite, to top athletes in other professional sports, there is going to be no shortage of star power on the field. Celebrities set to play in the game include Jamie Foxx, Landon Donovan, J.K. Simmons, Drew Brees, Jennie Finch, Vladimir Guerrero, and Terry Crews. You can view the full participation list here.

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MLB Farewell Tour: David Ortiz vs Derek Jeter

Two years ago, future Hall of Famer Derek Jeter was making his final appearances at MLB stadiums across the nation. Fans far and wide were lining up at the gates of each American League ballpark and a handful of National League stadiums to see the career-long Yankee shortstop play in that particular city one final time. Fast forward two years later, and beloved Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz is making his very own farewell trip across Major League Baseball.

With two famed MLB players making their final rounds across baseball only a couple of years apart, we decided to compare ticket prices for Ortiz and Jeter’s final game in each city that they both visited. While the season is almost halfway over, Ortiz has only played his final game at four American League stadiums, and two National League stadiums, neither of which Derek Jeter and the Yankees visited during the 2014 season. With that, let’s take a look at ticket prices for each players final game at the Kansas City Royals’ Kauffman Stadium, the Houston Astros’ Minute Maid Park, the Minnesota Twins’ Target Field, the Chicago White Sox’s US Cellular Field, as well as the Texas Rangers’ Globe Life Park, where Ortiz’s will suit up for the final time this Sunday.

David Ortiz Farewell Tour

At all but one stadium, ticket prices were more expensive to see Derek Jeter and the Yankees play in 2014. This shouldn’t come to much as a surprise, as Derek Jeter, who carried a career .310 batting average was an all-star caliber player both offensively and defensively for the majority of his career, while Ortiz has primarily served as a DH. Ortiz is also haunted by a failed drug test in 2003, though he denies he ever knowingly took steroids. Even though some believe the failed drug test puts a stain on his career, his on the field performance and his big personality off the field make him a fan favorite across baseball.

The largest difference in price between the two player’s final games at a visitor’s ballpark occurred at Minute Maid Park. Fans paid $53 on average to see Ortiz’s final game at the stadium on April 24 of this year, but they paid $101 on average for a ticket to see Derek Jeter play there on April 3, 2014.

On the other end of the spectrum, fans paid $83 on average to see Ortiz play his final game at Target Field on June 12, but paid $67 on average to see Derek Jeter play there with the Yankees on July 6, 2014. The game on that day was Derek Jeter’s final game with the Yankees at Target Field, but he played there once again during the All-Star Game a little over a week later, which may have had an effect on ticket prices.

Including the Red Sox’s game at the Texas Rangers on Sunday, David Ortiz still has 12 stadiums to visit this season as he continues to make his farewell tour across the majors. Browse through a wide selection of tickets to those games by clicking here.