Lackey, Halladay, Lee, May Alter Betting Odds For New Teams

Last week was the time when baseball was supposed to take center stage with their winter meetings that were held in Indianapolis. Instead, executives waited until Monday to pull the trigger on some big deals that will alter the projections for their team in 2010.

The Red Sox started the rumor wheel spinning early Monday morning when they brought in John Lackey for a physical. Soon after, reports had surfaced that the Red Sox and Lackey had reached an agreement on a five year deal.

Later in the day, a blockbuster deal was in the works. Roy Halladay flew to Philadelphia and began to negotiate a long term deal with the Phillies. Philadelphia had traded for Halladay and was in the process of dealing Cliff Lee to the Seattle mariners.

Lee was the league's top pick up last year at the trade deadline. He pitched magnificently down the stretch for the Phillies, but clearly the Phillies had been fascinated with the prospects of landing Halladay.

Seattle, meanwhile, has been positioning themselves to make a run at the American League West title last year. They have already stolen Chone Figgins away from the Angels in free agency, and the addition of Lee makes them a legitimate contender.

For the Red Sox, it is business as usual. After watching the Yankees win the championship last year, Boston knew they would have to improve to catch up. Lackey gives them another star pitcher to go along with Josh Beckett and Jon Lester.

December 15, 2009
Posted By Vincent Tapoglia III
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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