Are Sale’s Sox now the favorite?
The Boston Red Sox made a big splash this week when they acquired Cy Young contender Chris Sale from the White Sox.
On Tuesday, the Red Sox made headlines when they traded for Sale from the White Sox in exchanged for prospects from Boston. Among the prospects was Yoan Moncada, a highly talented infielder.
“The ability to get a Chris Sale doesn’t come along very often,” Boston president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said to ESPN. “I think it’s a situation where if you have a chance to win you go for every opportunity you can. Any time you can make the playoffs, you go for it.”
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, the Red Sox have improved their odds to win it all this year, as they jumped from +1000 to +600 this week. The Chicago Cubs remain the favorite to win the title as they have +375 odds.
Sale is coming off a 2016 season where he went 17-10 with a 3.34 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. Sale had 233 strikeouts with just 45 walks. In his career, Sale has had four straight seasons with at least 200 strikeouts and double-digit wins. He hasn’t had an ERA over 3.41 in a single season in his career and over seven seasons, his career ERA is 3.00.
MLB Quick Links: Scores & Matchups | Injuries | Odds Comparison | Betting Trends | ATS Stats
Sale now joins an impressive pitching staff that already includes David Price and 2016 Cy Young winner Rick Porcello. Those two had a combined 39 wins last season with over 400 strikeouts. They also each had sub-4.00 ERA’s.