Tag: Josh Bell

Padres trade for Juan Soto had significant impact on their World Series odds

Oddsmakers like the Padres a little more after their trade for Soto.

Many teams wanted Juan Soto, but only one could land the generational talent, and that team was the San Diego Padres.

The Padres and Washington Nationals have agreed on a deal that will send Soto and Josh Bell to San Diego for several young players – you can read full details of the trade here.

Soto alone would have improved the Padres’ outlook for the season, but to also get Bell, who’s in the midst of a career year, was a coup. World Series title odds reflect just how big a win this was for the Padres. On Monday, they had +2000 odds to win the World Series at Tipico Sportsbook. After news of the trade, those odds shortened to +1200, leaping the Brewers (+1500) and Blue Jays (+1300).

They saw similar movement at other sportsbooks.

The Padres, who are up two games on the Phillies for the second Wild Card spot and 4.5 games behind the Braves for the first spot, now have the sixth-shortest odds to win it all. Only the Dodgers, Yankees, Astros, Mets and Braves have shorter odds.

They’re unlikely to make up a 12-game deficit to the Dodgers in the NL West, but the Braves and that top Wild Card are certainly in play with Soto in tow. Once the postseason begins, anything can happen.

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Mets should win big in Jacob deGrom’s season debut against unrecognizable Nationals

These aren’t the same Nats deGrom is used to facing.

When Jacob deGrom takes the mound Tuesday for his first major league game in more than a year, he’ll be pitching against a Nationals lineup without any semblance of the one he’s used to facing.

The last time deGrom played his division rivals in Washington, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and Josh Bell were all in the lineup, and Juan Soto was still on the team nursing an injury. The previous time he played them was a matchup against Max Scherzer, who is now his Mets teammate. After Tuesday’s reported blockbuster deal sending Soto and Bell to the Padres, none of those players remain in Washington.

Instead, deGrom will face a lineup that more closely resembles a Triple-A ball club, a team that ranked bottom five in slugging percentage and run production even before the trade. It sets up for the two-time Cy Young winner to have a strong season debut. The Mets are favored by 2.5 runs and have the shortest moneyline odds of the day, -350 at Tipico Sportsbook.

Not only do I expect the Mets to win and cover, I think deGrom has a good chance to reach his six-inning limit imposed by the team and eclipse his 6.5 strikeout line at a paltry -155 odds. The Nats have been especially bad since the All-Star break, scoring just 32 runs in 10 games with a .217 average and .292 OBP, both bottom five numbers in that span.

The Mets aren’t the most explosive offense but they’re title contenders for a reason and shouldn’t have too hard a time against Nats starter Cory Abbott in his second career start.

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‘You have 24 hours a day to get better’: MLB All-Star offers optimistic perspective during pandemic

SportsPulse: Ralphie Aversa connected with Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star first baseman Josh Bell to get his outlook on how he’s treating his time away from the game and making the most of a tough situation.

SportsPulse: Ralphie Aversa connected with Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star first baseman Josh Bell to get his outlook on how he’s treating his time away from the game and making the most of a tough situation.