NEWSLETTER
Yesterday, the Boston Red Sox Twitter account went back through their mentions from an Opening Day loss to the Rays and replied to the over-reactionary naysayers with some serious fire. It was hilarious and probably felt SO good for that Social Media team. Even the fans probably didn’t mind, since their team just won it all.
And, hey, it’s a good time to be a Boston Red Sox fan. Not only did they just win their fourth World Series since 2004, they’re also already the early favorites for next season:
Early 2019 World Series odds from @BovadaOfficial – Cubs not too bad. pic.twitter.com/l7W8e5tcIp
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) October 29, 2018
These are just gambling odds, of course, but when taken in the proper context, odds like this can really take the temperature of the room. Think of it like crowd-sourcing a single 30-answer multiple choice question, where, if you’re right, you not only win money, you don’t lose money. Sure some people will throw their money away on long shots for the hell of it, but for the most part, the green does a good job of bringing out your best and final answer.
All of which is to point out … HEY! The Cubs don’t look half-bad entering into the offseason. Although they are just the fifth favorite team to win it all by these standards, only the Los Angeles Dodgers are ahead of them from the National League, and they may have some fatigued players on their hands after many long postseason runs (this is where I share the if the Cubs *had* to have an early postseason exit post).
The Braves, Brewers, and Cardinals follow the Cubs with the next best odds from the NL (all better than 20/1), followed by another tier including the Phillies, Nationals, and Mets. I take issue with a lot of these odds, but then again, they’re not power rankings, and people can often bet with their hearts.
The Cubs wound up with the second-best record in the NL this season after Game 163, and it didn’t really work out for them in the postseason. But if you can keep doing that (while hoping your division is more normal) you’ll usually be okay. As of right now, the Cubs’ odds seem to say they’ll be okay …
… but of course a whole lot can and will change over the course of this offseason.
