Baseball season is BACK, baby!! Not only are we getting it back, but we’re also getting a full season’s worth as well. Here are some futures that I like heading into the 2021 season.
Boston Red Sox Under 79.5 Wins (-110) – The Boston Red Sox come into the season with a much different look than their 2018 World Championship squad. Long gone are the days of their potent offense, pitching depth, and solid defense. Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr., Andrew Benintendi are all gone, Chris Sale hasn’t even begun to pitch off a mound yet and Eduardo Rodriguez is starting the season off on the IL. In last year’s 60 game shorted season, the Red Sox finished with a 24-36 record.
The Red Sox have a solid if unspectacular offense that will keep them in games. But their pitching staff is the problem for the Sox. They lack the high-end talent and depth in their starting rotation so more often than not they will need to win high-scoring affairs. That is not a recipe to sustain success if they have to depend on their offense every night. They also play in the beast which is the AL East with the likes of the New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, and Toronto Blue Jays. If last year’s team is any indication, they will struggle to stay afloat as a .500 team. Take the under here.
Cincinnati Reds Under 81.5 Wins (-110) -The Cincinnati Reds have spent big time cash through trades and free agency over the course of the last two seasons. The results have not reached expectations quite yet. Their offense has legit pieces with Nick Castellanos, Mike Moustakas, Nick Senzel, Eugenio Suarez and co. Their pitching staff is an entirely different story.
Their staff took a major hit with reigning Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer and Anthony DeSclafani departing via free agency. Sonny Gray has been dealing with a back injury and will miss the first few weeks of the season. Their rotation will rely heavily on Luis Castillo and Gray when he returns. There are major question marks with the rest of their rotation.
The Reds are not a very good defensive team and play in a tough NL Central Division. If they find themselves out of the playoff hunt, they could be sellers come to the trade deadline. All of this culminates to an under .500 ball club.
Houston Astros Over 87.5 Wins (-110)/AL West Division Winners (+120)
The Houston Astros are primed to bounce back from a rough 2020 shortened season. This is a team that, deservedly so has been dragged through the mud after their cheating scandal. This is still a talented club with a lot to prove. Even with the loss of outfielder George Springer, their offense is still legit good. Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, and Alex Bregman are all viable MVP candidates, along with the 2019 AL Rookie Of The Year Yordan Alvarez, Michael Brantley, and Kyle Tucker.
Their pitching staff is good enough to win on most nights with Zack Greinke, L,ance McCullers and Jake Odorizzi, along with a solid bullpen. They should beat up on the likes of AL West doormats Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers, and the rest of the American League for that matter.
Philadelphia Phillies over 80.5 wins (-110) The Phillies are a talented club. Last year was an outlier as it was a shortened season and the team failed to find chemistry with a bunch of new faces along with a bullpen in shambles. The Phillies quietly had themselves a sneaky good off-season. They re-signed star catcher JT Realmuto and the underrated shortstop Didi Gregorius. They signed relief pitchers Archie Bradley and traded for Jose Alvarez to clean up some of their bullpen woes.
The Phillies will have a good offense and a starting rotation that is underrated. The Phillies play in a tough division, but they will be good enough to hang with them. Trust them to be an over .500 club.
Player Futures
NL CY Young
Jack Flaherty -StL (+1300)- It was a down year for the Cardinals ace in 2020. However, let’s throw that out as 2020 was a season to forget for so many. The Cardinals were stricken with Covid issues in the beginning of the season and some players failed to find a groove afterward, including Flaherty.
Let’s remember how nasty Flaherty was in 2019. He was second in the NL Cy Young voting finishing off the year with 11 wins, 2.75 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and 231 strikeouts. At just 25 years of age, we may not have seen the best that Flaherty has to offer.
Brandon Woodruff-Mil (+2200)- Sure, you could bet on Jacob deGrom to win the NL Cy Young, but what fun would that be? Woodruff has the skill-set, strikeout ability and the defense around him to be in contention for the award.
NL MVP
Ronald Acuna Jr. Atl (+750)- If Mike Trout is MLB’s best player, Acuna Jr comes in a close second. He checks all the marks. He is elite at the plate, solid defensively, and plays on a winning team.
Freddie Freeman Atl (+1500)- If you want the better odds, go with Acuna Jr.’s teammate Freddie Freeman. He has a potent bat in a potent lineup who should put up spectacular numbers.
Good Luck!!