LAS VEGAS \u2014 It\u2019s easier to win the baseball offseason than it is to close the deal in October, but the Dodgers clinched the first part by finally finishing a trade to bring star outfielder Mookie Betts from Boston to Los Angeles. Now for the hard part.<\/p>\n
The Yankees are still the World Series favorites, according to William Hill sportsbooks, and their path through the American League just got easier with the Red Sox essentially resigned to a rebuilding year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m shocked by it,\u201d William Hill sportsbook director Nick Bogdanovich said of the Betts deal. \u201cIt\u2019s not the Red Sox we once knew It\u2019s going to be a whole new look.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Dodgers\u2019 status as title contenders is nothing new, but their chances on paper have improved. When World Series odds for 2020 were opened Oct. 31, Houston was the 9\/2 favorite, followed by the Yankees (5\/1) and Dodgers (6\/1).<\/p>\n
The scandal-riddled Astros had fallen from the favorite\u2019s role by Feb. 3, when the Yankees (3\/1) were elevated to the top of the futures board, followed by the Dodgers (9\/2) and then Houston (8\/1).<\/p>\n
Betts\u2019 move from the AL East to NL West meant a minor odds adjustment only because there was not much room left for movement. While the Yankees remain the 3\/1 favorites, the Dodgers are now 7\/2 with the Astros\u2019 odds dipping to 17\/2 (+850). Boston, meanwhile, has plummeted from 12\/1 at the end of October to 25\/1 in early February to 40\/1 this week.<\/p>\n
With pitchers and catchers set to report for spring training, betting action indicates the public expects to see a two-horse race develop between the Dodgers and Yankees. Westgate SuperBook baseball oddsmaker Ed Salmons is more impressed by the horse with the blue saddle cloth.<\/p>\n \u201cWith Betts, the Dodgers are loaded,\u201d Salmons said. \u201cIt\u2019s scary to think how good the Dodgers could be this year.\u201d<\/p>\n At William Hill, the Dodgers\u2019 regular-season win total is up to 101 after opening at 98\u00bd. The Yankees\u2019 win total opened at 101\u00bd and is now 102\u00bd. The Astros posted the best record (107-55) in the major leagues last year, when the Dodgers won 106 games and the Yankees won 103.<\/p>\n The Westgate posted a unique prop bet on Feb. 1: Will the Yankees set the MLB regular-season wins record with 117 or more? The \u201cYes\u201d side is +800, with \u201cNo\u201d at -1,400.<\/p>\n Salmons said he believes the Dodgers\u2019 starting pitching trumps the Yankees\u2019 rotation. The Red Sox are also sending veteran left-hander David Price to LA, where he joins a staff with Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, Dustin May, Julio Urias and Tony Gonsolin. While critics point to the poor postseason track records of Kershaw and Price, it\u2019s Buehler who\u2019s the ace.<\/p>\n Betts, in his prime at 27, was the AL MVP in 2018 when he batted .346 with 32 home runs. Last year, he hit .295 with 29 homers. Betts\u2019 WAR for the past two years (17.0) ranks second in the majors to the 18.4 for the Angels\u2019 Mike Trout.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Dodgers have plenty of pitching,\u201d Salmons said. \u201cIf the Dodgers had a weakness, they had too many lefty hitters, so Betts balances their lineup, and he\u2019s a Gold Glove right fielder.\u201d<\/p>\n The top six hitters in the Dodgers\u2019 lineup figure to be Betts, Max Muncy, Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger, A.J. Pollock and Corey Seager \u2014 three right-handers and three lefties. It\u2019s a balanced and scary offensive attack.<\/p>\n A persuasive argument can be made that the three best players in baseball are now playing in Los Angeles \u2014 the Angels\u2019 Trout and the Dodgers\u2019 Betts and Bellinger. The Yankees\u2019 Aaron Judge is also in the discussion.<\/p>\n William Hill has posted Judge, Trout and the Mets\u2019 Pete Alonso as 10\/1 favorites to win the majors\u2019 home run title (Alonso won it last year with 53). Bellinger is listed next at 12\/1, and Bogdanovich said the Yankees\u2019 Giancarlo Stanton is drawing heavy betting action at 14\/1.<\/p>\n Season win totals were opened before the Super Bowl for the first time in Las Vegas, with William Hill being the first book to post the numbers. The response has not disappointed bookmakers.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the win totals markets, baseball is the second-most-popular sport next to football,\u201d Salmons said. \u201cThere is a huge appetite for it.\u201d<\/p>\n Aside from the Dodgers and Yankees, Bogdanovich said, the most Over action has surfaced on the Angels (85\u00bd), Oakland A\u2019s (89\u00bd), Cincinnati Reds (83) and Chicago White Sox (84\u00bd). Money has been showing Under the total on the Red Sox (85, down from 89) and Giants (68\u00bd, down from 71).<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m surprised by how much money we have on it,\u201d Bogdanovich said. \u201cPeople are just betting and betting and betting.\u201d<\/p>\n With Betts in blue, betting on the Dodgers is not expected to slow down any time soon. But the time to buy low on LA has passed.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Mookie](\"https:\/\/thenypost.files.wordpress.com\/2020\/02\/1053115486.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=300)