Betting on Baseball Futures – A Look at the American League East

A division with avid baseball fans that is sure to bring much excitement and surprises to the league looks to be primed for another great MLB season. Let’s take a look at the baseball futures for the tough American League East.

Betting on Baseball Futures – American League East To Win

• Baltimore Orioles +2000
• Boston Red Sox -170
• New York Yankees +190
• Tampa Bay Rays +800
• Toronto Blue Jays +1400

The no-longer-cursed Boston Red Sox sit atop the baseball betting odds for the American League East prior to the start of the 2011 season. The Sox are excited that Dustin Pedroia’s foot is reacting nicely to routine base-stealing so far this preseason, as second-baseman Pedroia is a team leader and plays a big presence on the field.

Also, the Red Sox line-up bullpen is a large factor in the team’s success, led by last season’s winningest pitcher, Clay Buchholz, in addition to Josh Beckett, John Lackey, Tim Wakefield, and Jonathan Papelbon. During the offseason, general manager Theo Epstein added first-baseman Adrian Gonzalez and left-fielder Carl Crawford to strengthen the BoSox’s depth. If all these players perform well, the odds are truly in favor of Boston to take the division.

Is there any more storied or famous rivalry in all of sports than that of the Bronx Bombers and the boys from Beantown? If you ask any baseball fan, the answer is “No,” there is no better rivalry, and I’d bet that even non-baseball fans would have to agree on this one, as these two teams have been competing against each other for over 100 years.

Despite missing out on free agent Cliff Lee and the retirement of Andy Pettitte, the Yankees are still hopeful with their pitching staff for the upcoming season. The team has about four pitching prospects that it has been trying out during the preseason and Joe Girardi has been pleased with their results. The batting of the Yankees will continue to be strong, led by veterans Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano.

The winner of the American League East will be between these two teams, and likely the loser will be in the Wild Card race, come the end of the season. Despite the varying odds for the Orioles, Rays and Blue Jays, baseball futures betting fans can focus on New York and Boston. Tampa Bay has been surprisingly competitive in seasons past, but the team does not have the talent or depth to stage a season-long race with the BoSox or Yanks.

Due to Boston’s pitching superiority, I would take them to win out the division, although surely as part of a very tight race with their nemesis Yankees.

Baseball on Baseball Futures Pick – Take the Red Sox to win the American League East!