The Mookie Betts trade had a ripple effect that once again makes the Dodgers the force they should be in all of baseball. Undeniably, on Tuesday the Los Angeles Dodgers got closer to winning their first World Series since 1988 then they were any day prior.
For proof of this, take a look at what their odds to win the World Series in 2020 did after acquiring Betts. This tweet from Bleacher Report Betting exhibits how bringing aboard a player of Betts’ stature changes things for a team.
Will Mookie bring a World Series crown to LA? ? pic.twitter.com/0FpYIWSHfR
— B/R Betting (@br_betting) February 5, 2020
While some – some like me – figured that acquiring Betts may have been baked into the already forecasted +700 the Dodgers were prior to the trade, that is not the case. By comparison, the Dodgers are now +400 to win the 2020 World Series; nearly cutting their odds in half. Honestly, this is absolutely a monumental move in the line for one player; comparable to what happened to the Yankees when they acquired Gerritt Cole.
Surely it hurts to say goodbye to players we love like Joc Pederson. In addition, pitcher Kenta Maeda will be sorely missed as well. And the news that Ross Stripling is also heading to Anaheim hurts even more.
However, these things had to take place so that the Dodgers could swing the pendulum the way these numbers indicate they have successfully.
We asked them to make a splash, and immediately the lead indicators prove that they did. When you say one player cannot win a World Series, that statement is true. However, don’t underestimate the greatness of one player in a short five or seven game series showing up and making a small edge. Within those small edges, the opportunity to advance increases ever so slightly enough that it happens.
I like the Dodgers’ odds a lot more today then I did before – when I didn’t feel they had a chance. Everyone should feel good waking up today and reading this.