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The betting sites are still trying to keep up with all of the changes happening with the Houston Astros. The Astros now have a new owner that seems to be dedicated to winning. But before MLB would approve the sale, the new owner had to agree to move the team to the AL in 2013. With that deal struck, the sale of the team to Jim Crane went through and Crane started to make some major changes.
The most significant change that Crane has made to date is to hire a new general manager. Crane has decided on former St. Louis Cardinals’ vice president of player procurement Jeff Luhnow., according to price per head sports sources. Luhnow was instrumental in putting together the Cardinals’ World Series team and is expected to make some significant changes to the Astros’ roster in the off-season.
The Toronto Blue Jays have started to appreciate the need for a bigger payroll and have announced that the team had raised its personal payroll cap for 2011 and will do so again in 2012. No exact figures have been released and the Blue Jays have not been major players in any of the free agency news so far this off-season. But the team says that it wants to start improving its roster and prepare to compete for a playoff spot in 2012. One move the Jays did make was to extend an arbitration offer to slugger Kelly Johnson for more than the $5.85 million that Johnson made in 2011 and reports are that Johnson has signed the deal. |
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Now that the online sports book fans of the Chicago Cubs know that Dale Sveum will be the team’s new manager; that still leaves the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox without managers. But the Red Sox may be ready to make an announcement, and it is a bookie software favorite that has managed in the big leagues for years. After first considering Texas pitching coach Mike Maddux and then former player Sandy Alomar, it looks like the Red Sox will be announcing Bobby Valentine as the team’s new manager any day now.
Earlier in the week, the St. Louis Cardinals took itself out of the manager hunt by naming Mike Matheny as the new Cardinals’ manager. A betonline review of Matheny shows that he was a catcher for the Cardinals for many years and spent the last couple of years instructing catchers in the minors. He has never managed a team at any level in his entire baseball career.
The NL MVP has been decided and it is Milwaukee Brewer’s slugger Ryan Braun. Braun’s MVP stats included a batting average of .332 with 33 home runs and 111 RBIs. Braun was instrumental in helping the Brewers win its first pennant in over 20 years.
The best that the Cleveland Indians could do was sign superstar Grady Sizemore to a one-year deal. But if that is what it takes to keep Sizemore in Cleveland, then the Indians will take it. Cleveland declined Sizemore’s 2012 $9 million option, but agreed to sign Sizemore to a one-year deal worth $5 million in base salary plus $4 million in incentives. |
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The online betting sites have assumed all along that Texas Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux was either going to manage the Chicago Cubs or Boston Red Sox next season. When Maddux pulled himself out of contention for the Red Sox’ job, it became a foregone conclusion that Maddux would wind up in Chicago. But, despite a Maddux press conference earlier in the week, the Cubs have not made any announcements yet.
The price per head bookie experts have now given the “heir apparent” title in Boston to Sandy Alomar. Alomar has been seen in and out of Fenway Park and has been giving several indications that he not only wants the job, but that he has been told he is a top candidate.
So where does that leave the Cubs? The Toronto Blue Jays took John Farrell off the market last year when Farrell was named as the replacement for the retired Cito Gaston. The Cubs have been knocking a lot of names around, including the name Mike Maddux. But the name that keeps putting Maddux on hold is former Red Sox manager Terry Francona. New Cubs’ president Theo Epstein has indicated that Francona would be interviewed for Chicago’s vacant managerial position, but nothing further has been said about Francona.
With the Cubs hesitant to name Maddux the manager, it points to another candidate that the Cubs feel strongly about. That candidate could be Terry Francona. The history between Epstein and Francona includes two World Series titles in Boston. Francona’s time with the Red Sox did not end well, but Epstein could be looking past that and seeing the man that helped Boston regain World Series glory. |
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As the Breeder’s Cup betting rolls along, the World Series is starting to wind down. The Texas Rangers have -320 odds on winning it all this year, which would be a crowning achievement for team president Nolan Ryan and his players. The Rangers were told that it could not repeat as AL champions without a marquee pitcher such as Cliff Lee. Texas answered by making C.J. Wilson a marquee pitcher and pushing the World Series to a sixth game.
The end of the 2011 season raises some interesting price per head bookmaking questions about the Philadelphia Phillies. After spending a lot of money on big name starting pitchers, it was the Phillies’ bullpen and offense that let the team down in the playoffs. Slugger Ryan Howard is expected to be back for next season, but the Phillies need to work on its bullpen and batting order to win it all in 2012. Could Albert Pujols be headed to Philadelphia? It will be an interesting off-season.
Yankees’ pitcher C.C. Sabathia was the reason for many low MLB scores this season. Sabathia was a presence every time he took the mound, and now the negotiations will begin to see if he stays in New York. The Boston Red Sox may be looking to dismantle its disgruntled pitching staff, and that may create a need for Sabathia in Boston. This will be another interesting story to watch in the 2011 baseball off-season. Sabathia to Boston would push the emotional pitch on the New York-Boston rivalry even higher. |
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The online sportsbooks have been lighting up with excitement over this year’s World Series. The Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals currently hold the upper hands in the ALCS and NLCS, but a lot can change in just a day or two. Here are the odds being given by the pay per head services for the four remaining teams to win the World Series.
Texas Rangers – World Series Odds: 2/1
The Texas Rangers have done little to dissuade people from thinking that the Rangers are the odds-on favorites to win it all this year. When the best team in baseball (the Philadelphia Phillies) were eliminated by the St. Louis Cardinals, it opened up a door for the Rangers to be the intertops favorite to win the Fall Classic.
St. Louis Cardinals – World Series Odds: 3/1
The Cardinals have showed a lot of character and talent after winning the NL wild card berth and taking out the Phillies in its NLDS series. St. Louis also managed to beat the Milwaukee Brewers at home in game two of the NLCS, which has not happened much this season. St. Louis is rolling with momentum and could roll all the way to the World Series.
Milwaukee Brewers – World Series Odds: 4/1
The Brewers need to get back on track if it wants to stay in the World Series discussions this season. Milwaukee has lost two in a row in the NLCS and shows very little signs of being able to mount a comeback.
Detroit Tigers – World Series Odds: 6/1
The Tigers’ odds have improved since it was able to win a game in its NLCS series with the Rangers. But the Rangers look strong where the Tigers are struggling. It could take one good start by Justin Verlander to spur the Tigers to victory. Verlander gets his chance in game five, and he needs to make good.
World Series Pick: St. Louis Cardinals |
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