Cardinals 2011 MLB Betting Odds
(The Spread) – Perhaps no team has been affected this offseason like the St. Louis Cardinals, who may slide down the NL Central standings this year.
View Current 2011 World Series Future Odds
Oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com have listed the Cardinals at +350 on the money line to win the NL Central this year and +3000 to win the 2011 World Series. Their over/under total for wins this season is 83.
Biggest Offseason Move: The Cards made a couple of quiet moves this offseaosn, including bringing back Jake Westbrook and trading shortstop Brendan Ryan to the Mariners while acquiring Ryan Theriot to take his place. But the move that will perhaps make the biggest impact is the addition of veteran Lance Berkman, who could wind up being a very solid pickup. At 35 years old his better days are behind him, but there’s still plenty of life left in his bat.
Biggest Loss: How about losing stud Adam Wainwright for the entire season due to Tommy John surgery? Is there a bigger loss than that? Thanks to Wainwright and Chris Carpenter, the Cards had one of the best 1-2 punches in all of baseball. But now that Wainwright is lost for the year, there’s immense pressure on ace Chris Carpenter and guys like Westbrook and Jamie Garcia to make sure the pitching doesn’t implode this season.
Season Outlook: Wainwright’s injury almost makes you forget about Albert Pujols’ contract situation. But it’s still a very real problem and unless the Cardinals are willing to pony up and pay him what he wants, Big Al’s pending free agency might be a huge distraction all season. That said, he is a Cardinal for this season and along with guys like Berkman, Matt Holliday and youngster John Jay, the Cards will remain competitive all season. I just don’t know how far they can go without Wainwright. Suddenly, their pitching staff has gone from extremely good to just above average. If players like Westbrook and Garcia can have productive years, there’s no reason the Cards can’t win the NL Central. But with teams like the Brewers and Reds ready to make a run, nobody should be surprised if St. Louis finishes in the middle of the pack this season.
St. Louis Cardinals 2011 World Series Odds: +3000
St. Louis Cardinals 2011 NL Central Odds: +350
St. Louis Cardinals O/U Win Totals: 83
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