Cubs Still World Series Odds Favourites Post-Trade Deadline

Major League Baseball’s non-waiver trade deadline passed Monday afternoon and several contenders made moves. The Chicago Cubs made their big splash last week in acquiring fire-balling closer Aroldis Chapman and they remain the +350 favourites on Sports Interaction’s MLB odds to win their first World Series since 1908. But the Cleveland Indians and San Francisco Giants both closed the gap on Monday with their trades.

Even With Trade Deadline Over, Deals Can Still Happen

Keep in mind that there can still be trades but now players can be claimed on waivers and that goes in reverse order of the standings. If a player is claimed, the club that made the waiver request can either withdraw the request and keep the player or let the player go to the claiming team, which would then have the rights to the player and be obligated to that player’s current contract. Or the teams can agree on a trade. Sometimes contenders will make a claim on a player simply to block him from going to another team.

So if the Blue Jays, for example, didn’t want the Boston Red Sox or Baltimore Orioles in the AL East to get a player then the Jays could claim him. But then they run the risk of possibly being stuck with that player’s contract. You may remember that in 2009 the Blue Jays put outfielder Alex Rios on waivers and the White Sox claimed him. Then-Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi simply let Rios go, putting the White Sox on the hook for the $61 million (U.S.) or so remaining on Rios’ deal. He’s now out of baseball.

Giants, Indians Odds Move Up

The Giants have won the World Series in each even-numbered year this decade and they landed Rays starting pitcher Matt Moore — for a package including third baseman and 2015 NL Rookie of the Year runner-up Matt Duffy — and Brewers lefty reliever Will Smith on Monday along with Twins All-Star infielder Eduardo Nunez last week. San Francisco is now +650 on World Series odds.

The Indians have moved to +750 on baseball odds to win the World Series. They acquired excellent lefty reliever Andrew Miller over the weekend from the New York Yankees and outfielder Brandon Guyer from Tampa Bay on Monday.

No team got better Monday than the Texas Rangers as they landed Yankees All-Star outfielder/designated hitter Carlos Beltran as well as Brewers All-Star catcher Jonathan Lucroy and closer Jeremy Jeffress. Milwaukee actually traded Lucroy on Sunday to Cleveland, but he blocked that trade. Texas is +650 on MLB odds to win its first World Series.

Blue Jays Land 3 Veteran Pitchers

Toronto beefed up its pitching staff in landing Pirates Opening Day starter Francisco Liriano and two prospects for pitcher Drew Hutchison, getting Astros right-handed pitcher Scott Feldman for pitching prospect Guadalupe Chavez and also dealing for Dodgers righty Mike Bolsinger in exchange for pitcher Jesse Chavez.

Liriano has easily the highest upside of the three as he had a combined ERA of 3.26 over 86 starts from 2013-15. But this year, he is 6-11 with a 5.46 ERA and leads the majors with 69 walks. Overall he was 41-36 with a 3.67 ERA in 107 career starts for the Pirates. Perhaps being reunited with former Pirates catcher Russell Martin is just what Liriano needs. He is making $13 million this season, tied for the Pirates’ largest contract, and will make the same amount in 2017, the final year of his deal.

Feldman can start or pitch out of the bullpen, with the latter being more likely. He’s 5-3 with a 2.90 ERA this season in 26 appearances, five of them starts. Bolsinger has split time between the majors and the minors this season for the Dodgers and was 1-4 with a 6.83 ERA in six starts for Los Angeles.

The Jays felt they needed to add arms because they will move their best starter, All-Star Aaron Sanchez, to the bullpen either after one or two more starts even though Sanchez leads all AL starters with a 2.71 ERA. At 139 1/3 innings this year, Sanchez has already set an MLB career high by 47 innings and the Jays want to limit those for the 24-year-old. His previous overall high of innings pitched was 133 1/3 between Double-A, Triple-A and the majors in 2014.

The Jays are now +800 on Sports Interaction World Series odds.

Current MLB World Series Odds