On Sports Betting: Major League Baseball by the Fourth of July? It Could Happen
It could happen.
CBS Sports reported on May 14 that Major League Baseball and the Players Association recently began negotiations about resuming the 2020 season. The two sides began talks after commissioner Rob Manfred held a conference call with the league’s 30 owners, who approved a proposal that would have the 2020 regular season start in early July.
ESPN, citing sources, reported that owners OK’d a plan that would pay players a percentage of their 2020 salaries based on a 50-50 split between players and owners. However, the players association views that plan as a de facto salary cap, and has said it will not agree to it.
Still, the presumption or at least the possibility of professional baseball’s return means betting numbers are up for most valuable player in the National and American Leagues. As Vegas Insider noted, the honor traditionally goes to the player with the best numbers. In some case, it’s a pitcher.
In the National League, players with the shortest odds are Mookie Betts at 11/2 followed by Cody Bellinger of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Milwaukee Brewers’ Christian Yelich both at 7/1, the Atlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr. at 9/1 and the Washington Nationals’ Juan Soto at 10/1.
At the opposite end, the Dodgers’ Max Muncy and the Cincinnati Reds’ Eugenio Suarez are both 50/1.
Bellinger won the award in 2019, and Yelich collected the trophy in 2018, Vegas Insider noted.
Over in the American League, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim’s Mike Trout is the overwhelming favorite at 3/2. The New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge and the Indians’ Franciso Lindor are both 10/1. The Angels’ Anthony Rendon is 14/1.
At the opposite end of the board, the four players at 50/1 are the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole, the Texas Rangers’ Joey Galloway, the Chicago White Sox’ Yasmani Grandal, and the Toronto Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Vegas Insider noted that Trout won the MVP award in 2019 to complement his MVP trophies from 2014 and 2016.
All bets on MVP, like those on win totals, Cy Young or rookie of the year would be on the presumption that the season gets underway in some fashion.
Will an abbreviated season happen? Money appears to be a major obstacle. Standby by your favorite betting app and see.
Elsewhere:
— NASCAR race fans saw a return to live racing on May 17 with the Real Heroes 400 from Darlington Raceways from Darlington, South Carolina. Kevin Harwick claimed the trophy in front of what the NASCAR wire service called a “robust” radio and television audience but empty grandstands. He paid about 7/1.
Some 20 more races are slated between now and the third week of June at different venues, NASCAR wire service reported, for all three of NASCAR’s premier series – the NASCAR Cup Series, the Xfinity Series and the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series. The Toyota 500 is slated for Darlington on May 20 as part of the NASCAR Cup Series.
— UFC impressario Dana White is attempting to orchestrate another UFC Fight Night on May 30, according to Vegas Insider, possibly from Las Vegas with Arizona as a backup site.
In the headliner on the possible card, former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley at -145 will square off against Gilbert Burns at +125. In the women’s strawweight division for the tentative May 30 lineup, MacKenzie Dern is -310 and Hanna Cifers is +260.
— The Bundesliga resumed Saturday after more than two months without any games because of the coronavirus pandemic, The Associated Press reported. Bayern Munich beat Union Berlin 2-0 in its first game for more than two months as the German soccer league’s restart continued. Bayern restored a four-point lead over second-place Borussia Dortmund, which beat Schalke 4-0 on Saturday, the news service reported.
Looking ahead to May 22, Hertha Berlin is 6/5 in its matchup against Union Berlin, which is 9/4, according to oddschecker.com.
