2011 AL East Division Betting Odds
(The Spread) – The New York Yankees are usually the perennial favorites to win the American League East Division. Until this year, that is.
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According to oddsmakers from online sports book SBGGLOBAL.com, the Boston Red Sox are the favorites to win the AL East, not the Yankees. The BoSox are –150 on the money line to win the division, while the Bronx Bombers are +190.
It’s hard to question why oddsmakers have installed Boston as the favorite given the offseason it had. The Sox lost Adrian Beltre and Victor Martinez to free agency, but they acquired slugger Adrian Gonzalez from the Padres and signed free agent Carl Crawford to a mega contract.
The Yankees, meanwhile, lost out on their top offseason target. They heavily pursued Cliff Lee, but the free agent decided to spurn both the Bombers and Rangers in order to sign with the Phillies, whom he played with a year ago. After losing out on Lee, the Yankees’ starting rotation is in a state of flux. CC Sabathia is as solid as they come, but A.J. Burnett must bounce back from a rough 2010 campaign or else New York could be in a world of hurt. (Phil Hughes must also be a consistent contributor because there’s a lot of uncertainty at the No. 4 and No. 5 spots in the rotation.)
The Tampa Bay Rays are sure to be in the mix again this year, although oddsmakers have made them a mid-range long shot at +800. The Rays lost Crawford and Carlos Pena via free agency, and also traded starting pitcher Matt Garza to the Cubs. The Rays tried to compensate by signing free agents Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon, two players that may very well be past their prime. Stars like Evan Longoria, B.J. Upton and David Price must step up if this team wants to win another AL East crown.
The bottom feeders in the division will once again be the Baltimore Orioles (+1800) and Toronto Blue Jays (+1500). The Jays won 85 games lat year but still finished 11 back of the Rays and 10 back of the Yankees. They simply don’t have enough talent to compete with the Red Sox and Yankees over the long haul, and the same goes for the O’s (who were rejuvenated once Buck Showalter took over succeed Juan Samuel in late July).
2011 AL East Division Odds to Win
Baltimore Orioles +1800
Boston Red Sox –150
New York Yankees +190
Tampa Bay Rays +800
Toronto Blue Jays +1500
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