The Blue Jays World Series betting odds have taken a serious hit after Toronto has stumbled out of the gate with just 2 wins in their first 12 games.
As of Monday afternoon, Pinnacle was listing the 2017 Blue Jays World Series betting odds at 25:1. Before spring training began, Toronto was 16:1 odds to win its first World Series championship since 1993.
You might want to wait before racing to the betting window (or more likely your online sports betting account) to take advantage on the extra value on the Blue Jays, however.
TSN’s Dirk Hayhurst pointed out Monday that things are likely to get worse before they get better – with Josh Donaldson on the disabled list and starters Aaron Sanchez and JA Happ both dealing with potential injuries.
“When teams suffer injuries to their anchoring stars, like Happ and Donaldson, it means the rest of the team has to pull the slack, or reinforcements have to arrive in glorious fashion,” Hayhurst wrote.
“That last part is a real problem for the Jays. In 2016, they were talent top-heavy. There were very few prospects to call up who had high ceilings and were ready to be tested. Not much has changed this year.”
Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith noted Monday that every team to win the American League East since 2000 won at least 93 games. In order to reach that number of victories, the Jays would need to go 91-59 the rest of the way.
According to FanGraphs, the Blue Jays’ playoff chances after their 2-10 start were 17.8 per cent, ranking them in similar territory as the Mariners, Marlins, Pirates and Diamondbacks.
The defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs (that still looks funny, doesn’t it?) lead the way on the 2017 World Series betting odds at Pinnacle, paying +380. Boston (+600) and Cleveland (+700) are the top contenders in the American League.