Yankees' World Series Odds Falling After Gerrit Cole Injury
Christmas came early for Yankee fans last December when the Bronx Bombers sent five players to the San Diego Padres for Juan Soto and Trent Grisham.
Landing the biggest name available was costly, but having Soto in a lineup with a healthy Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton had Yankee fans salivating at the thought of what could be as the team looks to rectify the lost season that was 2023.
New York was the betting favorite to win the A.L. East in late February, with the second best odds to win the American League and reached as high as +800 at FanDuel Sportsbook to win its first World Series since 2009.
Shortly thereafter things began to go south for the Yanks, as Judge indicated last year's toe injury which limited him to 106 games would likely require maintenance for the rest of his career.
Still, things were looking up as the Yankees win total even increased from 93.5 to 94.5, more than 12 games over last season's 82.
It wouldn't last.
The betting market was able to withstand Judge managing his toe, but not ace Gerrit Cole's injured elbow.
The good news is Cole won't completely shut down. The bad news is he won't throw for up to a month.
Gerrit Cole reveals that he won’t throw for the next three to four weeks due to nerve inflammation and edema in his right elbow.
— Max Goodman (@MaxTGoodman) March 16, 2024
He won’t completely shut down, continuing to “keep the arm live.” Then, he’ll hit the ground running with a build up from there.
Cole was 15-4 with a 2.63 ERA and accounted for 7.4 bWAR in 2023, over 33 starts, 24 of which were quality starts.
He was a work horse that gave the Yankees a chance to win each time he went to the mound.
Needless to say, the Yankees rotation looks a lot different without Cole in the rotation and the team's odds of winning the World Series have dived as a result, falling to +900 at FanDuel and to +1100 at DraftKings.
Correspondingly, the Yankees win total has decreased by three games and the odds of winning the AL East and American League have also lengthened.
But these are the Yankees and while winning the East is nice and winning the league is nicer, the expectation is that this team will bring home World Championships.
That's why the team paid the exorbitant price for Soto.
It's to be determined how long Cole will be out, but one thing is for sure: The odds of the Yankees winning the World Series aren't going to improve without Cole's elbow improving or New York making a major move for another elite arm.
If you want to bet on a team to win the World Series, FanDuel Sportsbook has all of the futures odds available to back them! New users can take advantage of a great welcome offer where they will be eligible to earn $150 in bonus bets if they sign up with the link below, wager $5 and their bet wins!
Sign up for FanDuel now!
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.