NJ online sportsbooks change the dynamic of futures betting for most recreational bettors. The immediate availability of World Series Odds and MLB Teams Futures is not exactly something your local bookie cares about. Our top MLB betting writer Steve Buchanan is back with his BUY & SELL signals on the young 2019 baseball season.
New York Mets (+1800)
Since the season opened, the NY Mets odds opened at +1600 to odds win the World Series. Overall, they haven’t moved much but that could change very quickly. It was announced Friday afternoon that Jacob deGrom would be heading back to New York to receive an MRI on his elbow, which was “barking” while playing catch. As you can imagine, a state of panic has ensued for Mets fans and if this MRI reveals and damage, these odds are going to take a massive hit.
The writing had potentially been on the wall that something was off with deGrom. Granted, NO ONE could imagine him replicating the type of production he had in 2018 where he had a string of 24 straight quality starts. To think that anyone could replicate that is absurd. What was concerning was some of the numbers that deGrom had amassed in the early going. Last season, deGrom allowed just a 26.6% hard-hit rate! Through 22 innings this year, that number has nearly doubled to 53.1%. It’s a small sample size but certainly one of concern.
Regardless of the results of the MRI, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team be cautious with their ace. The last thing they’d want to do is jeopardize the 30-year-old, who JUST signed a five-year $139 million dollar extension.
The final factor to think about is how poor their bullpen has been. Prior to Friday’s game against the Cardinals, the Mets relievers have combined for a 5.87 ERA, a 5.23 xFIP and are allowing 1.7 HR/9, which is tied for the third highest mark in the league. Even if their starters are posting quality starts, the bullpen is blowing those leads. The bullpen has only eight holds as a team, which currently ranks them one of the lowest in the league.
Mets Signal = SELL
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New York Yankees (+700)
The Yankees have been all over the place in terms of World Series odds since the season started. Once tied with the Astros for the best odds in the league, they’ve now fallen to third behind the ‘Stros and Dodgers. With that in mind, I think we’re getting some good value on this AL East juggernaut as they continue to lick their wounds.
Unlike the Boston Red Sox (+1000), the reason for their poor play at times has been connected to injuries. The Red Sox have been plain bad despite having almost their entire roster healthy. As we start to creep toward the month of May, the Yankees will continue to get healthier with the return of both Giancarlo Stanton and Gary Sanchez on the horizon. Both players have been doing well in their rehab programs and it looks as if they’ll be in the Yankees lineup by the end of the month. Last season, these two combined for 56 home runs and 153 RBI. Call me crazy but that sounds like a good lineup boost.
The other aspect to consider is their bullpen. Despite their recent struggles, I still believe this is one of the best bullpens in quite some time across the league. Even with them hitting a bit of a bump in the road, they still sport a solid 3.86 ERA with a 3.78 xFIP and a K/9 of 10. They will go through stretches of rough patches and I think that’s exactly what we have going on here. Once this team gets healthy AND the bullpen pitches to their full potential, watch out American League (and beyond).
Result = BUY
Oakland Athletics (+4000)
Here’s what intrigues me about the A’s at +4000. Regardless of what happens, a team out of the AL West is going to make the playoffs. In prior articles, I’ve expressed my concerns about the long-term sustainability of both their pitching staff as a whole. I don’t see the division going to the Angels or Rangers so that leaves just the A’s. We all know, all you need to do is make the playoffs and anything can happen. So these World Series odds for the A’s are really appealing.
The A’s can boast a really solid and powerful lineup that has good hitters from top to bottom. They are sporting a team wOBA of .327 wOBA (16th) with a .199 ISO (8th). The long ball hasn’t been a problem for the A’s either, as they have 37 HR’s on the year, which is the third highest in the league. With an onslaught in power, this team will win plenty of games and I expect them to win the division. Again, getting a team in the playoffs with those type of odds creates too much value to pass up.
Result = BUY
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