There is a growing sense that the Dodgers are now in great shape to win their first World Series in since 1988. The Dodgers have been dominant in the National League in recent years, but all too often, they have fallen in the Division Series. Last year, they were undone by the Washington Nationals, who went on to become World Series champions themselves.
Although there is certainly no shame in losing to the eventual winners, the Dodgers fans are aching to be the ones doing the celebrating this October.
Most of the leading sportsbooks specializing in MLB odds have positioned the Dodgers as second favorites to reach and win this year’s World Series, behind the Yankees. Dodgers fans could soon find themselves living in one of America’s sports betting hotspots, with the chance to wager on their team’s success.
Californians will be asked to vote on legalizing sports betting in the state in November this year. Having watched the likes of New Jersey make a good fist of being the first state to legalize online gambling and sports wagering, with growing competition among operators of the NJ Online Casinos.
The signing of Mookie Betts has captured everyone’s imagination
The Dodgers’ strong odds with the sportsbooks occurred without manager Dave Roberts doing anything significant. Their chances of winning in 2020 have risen somewhat this month with the announcement of a long-awaited trade for Boston Red Sox outfielder, Mookie Betts.
The Dodgers have been eyeing Betts for some time and the 2018 MVP outfielder was involved in a complex three-way trade, which saw the Dodgers allow three of their young starlets to join Boston in exchange for Betts, David Price, plus cash.
2018 was undoubtedly a headline year for Betts in the MLB. He became the first player in the sport’s history to win the World Series, the batting title, the Gold Glove, the Silver Slugger, and the American League’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the same year.
Losing Betts to the Dodgers for 2020 was not something that Red Sox owner John Henry had anticipated, and the trade courted lots of criticism and anger from Red Sox fans on social media. Henry was forced to pen an open letter to the Red Sox fans, explaining that the franchise could not risk “losing a great player to free agency” during the “next offseason.”
“Getting value” from the Dodgers’ trade for Betts has not only strengthened the Dodgers’ roster but allowed Boston to move forward with theirs. Also involved in that trade was a 34-year-old pitcher, David Price.
With 12 years of MLB action under his belt, Price is a seasoned performer and a five-time All-Star. His initial value to the Red Sox was evident by the franchise record seven-year $217M contract awarded to him when signing as a UFA. Ironically, Price was also the architect of the Dodgers’ downfall in their heart-breaking World Series defeat to the Red Sox in 2018.
David Price keen to end the Dodgers’ “hurt”
It’s somewhat poetic that the Dodgers have turned to Price to try and pitch them to World Series glory in 2020. In a recent interview discussing his arrival in Los Angeles, Price admitted that he could “sense that hurt” from his teammates that has lingered following back-to-back World Series losses in 2017 and 2018.
Price said that winning the World Series with the Red Sox was a feeling that he could not “put it into words” to describe, and he is desperate to help them “experience the feeling [he] felt” after the series-clinching fifth game.
When you consider that both Betts and Price are teaming up with Cody Bellinger and company, it’s no surprise to see the sportsbook traders fancy the Dodgers’ chances. In fact, a recent projection model now believes the Dodgers will win at least 106 games in the 2020 season, along with a 29% chance of becoming 2020 World Series champs. Rightly so, when you consider that the Dodgers will have two ex MVPs in their outfield this season.
Betts also greatly enhances the Dodgers’ batting line-up, given that the Dodgers’ roster last year was jam-packed with left-handers. Although the New York Yankees are also making plenty of noises about their own World Series chances, following the record-breaking signing of Gerrit Cole, the Dodgers have every chance of their season being alive and kicking in the back end of October.
