An Early Look At The Tigers' World Series Odds -- And More
By: Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid
The 2017 MLB season starts in 150 days.
How quickly we turn the page.
The Cubs? So last year. World Series MVP Ben Zobrist? So last night.
We live in a right-now, instant-gratification society, and sports fans reflect this as much as anyone. That's why oddsmakers are already hard at work coming up with betting lines for next year's baseball season, when this year's season ended, well, this morning.
According to SportsBettingDime, the Chicago Cubs are the team that's most likely to win the World Series in 2017, with 6-to-1 odds. Hey, maybe all those years of coming up short - 108, to be exact - will be accounted for.
The Tigers have 22-to-1 odds to win next year's World Series, tied for 11th best with the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees.
The two teams least likely to win it all in 2017? The Atlanta Braves and the Cincinnati Reds, both of whom are 150-to-1 long shots.
The Tigers finished second in the A.L. Central in 2016 and missed a wild card berth by 2.5 games. Last month, general manager Al Avila said changes are coming to the team's business approach, with the Tigers looking to get "younger" and "leaner."
Detroit's $205 million payroll was the fourth highest in the league last season. According to SportsBettingDime, that is likely to change before next season begins - and change drastically.
The Tigers (10/3) are tied for second with the Philadelphia Phillies as the team whose payroll is likely to decrease the most from 2016 Opening Day to 2017 Opening Day. Only the San Diego Padres (2/1) have better odds.
Interestingly, the Tigers were listed as one of three favorites to sign Wilson Ramos, the All-Star catcher for the Washington Nationals who is due for a big-time raise. The Tigers and Chicago White Sox both have 10-to-1 odds of landing Ramos, while the Nationals are listed as 5-to-1 frontrunners.
Regarding the 2017 Hall of Fame class, one former Tiger gained mention: Ivan Rodriguez. The catcher, who played four-and-a-half seasons in Detroit, was given 4-to-1 odds of gaining enshrinement in Cooperstown next season, trailing only Tim Raines (4/5), Trevor Hoffman (3/2) and Jeff Bagwell (1/2).