MLB Betting Odds: Phillies Heavily Favored To Win NL East

The Philadelphia Phillies already would have been the betting favorites to win the National League East heading into the new season, and then something happened that put the Phillies in rare air. Philadelphia swooped in at the last minute and snatched Cliff Lee away from the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees.

Lee was considered the prize in this year's free agent class, and the Phillies were thought to have given up on re-signing the lefty after trading Lee to Seattle before last season. At the last minute, however, the Phillies offered Lee a deal, and the star pitcher took less than twenty-four hours to sign the deal.

Now, the Phillies have been made even bigger favorites by Las Vegas sports books to win their division. Philadelphia has odds of -300. That means, gamblers must wager $300 for every $100 they would win if the Phillies won the NL East.

The rest of the division will be chasing Philadelphia, and according to odds makers, the Atlanta Braves have the best shot at catching the Phillies. The Braves have odds of +400, mainly because of a strong starting pitching staff and some young hitting talent.

The Florida Marlins seem to come out of nowhere every few years to win a World Series, so odds makers never make Florida's odds to high. The Marlins have odds of +550.

In New York, there is little optimism that the Mets can make a run at the division title, and odds makers agree. The Mets are the second to last choice in the NL East, at +2500. The Washington Nationals, despite the addition of Jason Werth, are the division long shots at +3000.

February 21, 2011
Posted By Vincent Tapoglia III
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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