A big drop in World Series betting odds for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati is one of the teams that has made it clear that it is shedding payroll this offseason … and those putting together the betting odds for the World Series have definitely noticed.
In early November, Cincinnati was +4000 to win the Fall Classic. Now, the Reds sit at +20000, tied with the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks as the second-worst odds of any team to win it all (we’ll detail one of the teams with the worst odds shortly).
So what happened? Well, the Reds have made a number of trades since the lockout ended (starting pitcher Sonny Gray to the Minnesota Twins, plus outfielder Jesse Winker and infielder Eugenio Suarez to the Seattle Mariners) and watched as Nick Castellanos signed with the Philadelphia Phillies after opting out of the final two years and $34 million in his contract with the Reds. And even before all of that, the team placed starter Wade Miley on waivers, where he was quickly snapped up by their division rivals (Chicago Cubs).
Cincinnati could also be without one of its remaining top pitchers (Luis Castillo) for Opening Day and perhaps beyond because of shoulder soreness. And the news got worse for the Reds recently when they learned that Justin Dunn (acquired from the Mariners in the above-mentioned trade) will miss months of time because of a shoulder injury.
Please Cincinnati, free Joey Votto.