The Houston Astros won their second World Series, capping off an almost perfect season. A balanced team with outstanding pitchers and a bullpen helped the Astros stroll through postseason matchups and win convincingly in the finals against the Philadelphia Phillies.
The best regular season team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, fell short in playoffs despite season-high 111 wins. Still, the Dodgers came on top of way-to-early predictions for the next season. However, after turbulent free agent offseason signings, bookmakers adjusted the odds, and the Dodgers slightly fell in the odds.
Player Carousel Changed the Odds
The offseason drama started with RF Aaron Judge, who wouldn’t sign with the Yankees before the season. After he had huge record-breaking numbers with 62 home runs in the season, he was connected to various suitors, where we, in the end, saw him signing a nine-year contract with the Yankees for $360 million.
He wasn’t the only big-name signing for the New York Yankees. They got hold of pitcher Carlos Rodon for $162 million on a six-year contract. The Yankees took a dominant pitcher from San Francisco Giants and slightly improved their preseason odds on a still unbalanced hitting lineup.
The Giants continued with an awful postseason when they failed to sign 3B Carlos Correa. The deal was almost done, and in an overnight turn of events, the New York Mets signed Correa for $315 million on a 12-year contract. The Mets did climb up to the top of the odds, but they are also over $800 million in offseason spending, a record. They went all in and are in win-now mode, but it is still unclear why Correa signed for less with the Mets when he was already in Giants facilities.
The Chicago Cubs managed to sign one of the remaining big-name free agents on the market, giving Dansby Swanson a seven-year $177 million deal. He had the best shortstop stats last season and should significantly improve the Cubs’ lineup.
The Best Odds for the New Season
Bookmakers have different teams as the favorites to win it all in 2023, but with an unimpressive offseason for the Dodgers, the team fell from the top. Currently, the Houston Astros are the sportsbook favorites to win another title. With the Correa signing, the Mets are now tied with defending champions and New York Yankees with +650. The Dodgers fell from +500 to +800.
Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, who eliminated Dodgers in playoffs, and World Series finalists Phillies follow the favorite lists.
The Future of Sports Betting in California
The slate of states that allow betting is widening with each passing season. Unfortunately, California is not one of the states moving toward legalizing sports betting. The latest vote on this matter happened in November when the stakeholders voted a hard no to Prop 27. Big money, tribal rights, and stiff opposition to betting in California seem to derail the option to legalize betting any time soon. The earliest we could see a new proposal to legalize online and retail sports betting in California is 2024. Those interested in sports betting and how it works should check out this guide ahead of the launch in Ohio in January 2023.
While California bettors lost their chance for legalized betting, fans in Ohio have much to cheer for. The decision to launch sports betting coincides with an excellent season for the NFL team Cincinnati Bengals and their quarterback Joe Burrow. Unfortunately, for baseball fans, the Reds are at the bottom of the odds for the new MLB season, just above the Nationals and Athletics.
The preseason odds of winning the World Series will probably change more before the start of the season, although most notable free agents have already found their home.
