ST. LOUIS, MO (The Spread) – If you thought the St. Louis Cardinals’ 2013 World Series odds would drop in wake of the club’s announcement about Chris Carpenter on Tuesday, then you’d be wrong.
View Current 2013 World Series Odds
According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, the Cardinals are now 20/1 to win the 2013 World Series after they were listed as 22/1 long shots last week. Somehow, the club’s odds to win a title this year actually improved despite the news that Carpenter will miss the entire 2013 season.
St. Louis general manager John Mozeliak said yesterday that Carpenter is still feeling discomfort in his arm and is “very unlikely” to pitch in 2013. The 37-year-old starter recently felt the same symptoms that he dealt with prior to undergoing thoracic outlet syndrome surgery last year. He’ll seek medical attention and thus, will hold off on retiring, but it’s entirely possible that Carpenter has pitched his final game.
The Cardinals are stacked with young pitchers and considering Carpenter didn’t pitch until the tail end of the regular season and postseason last year, the news isn’t a massive blow to their championship hopes. But considering that Mozeliak is unlikely to bring back free agent Kyle Lohse (who lead the Cards in ERA last year), the team will have to rely on young arms Shelby Miller, Trevor Rosenthal and Joe Kelly this season. With Jaime Garcia and Jake Westbrook also coming off injury-plagued 2012 seasons, there’s some concern that the rotation can hold up over an entire 162-game season.
The Blue Jays remain the favorites to win the 2013 World Series at 7/1, while the Dodgers and Nationals are 8/1, respectively. The Tigers and Angels are 9/1, respectively, while the Angels, Braves, Reds, Yankees, Giants and Rangers are all 14/1, respectively, to win the Fall Classic in 2013.
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