Lynn Moves the Needle for Minnesota’s World Series Odds
- Sportsbooks are bullish on the Twins after the team acquired free agent pitcher Lance Lynn
- Can Minnesota return to the playoffs for the second straight year?
- See updated odds to win the 2018 World Series
Minnesota was baseball’s feel-good story in 2017 after the Twins became the first team in Major League history to go from 100 losses to the American League Wild Card Game. They’re hoping to go even further in 2018 after signing free agent pitcher Lance Lynn to a one-year, $12 million contract.
The 30-year-old right-hander officially joined Minnesota on Monday and has already had an impact on the team’s World Series odds. The Twins are now as short as +3000 at online sportsbooks. They were no better than +4000 as recently as late February.
Lynn made his first start for Minnesota on Tuesday afternoon and looked extremely sharp, striking out five batters in three no-hit innings. The long-time Cardinal threw just 41 pitches and hit 94 miles an hour on the radar gun on multiple occasions. That’s an especially good sign since Lynn wasn’t even in a Major League training camp until 48 hours ago.
| Year | Record | ERA | IP | H | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 1-1 | 3.12 | 34.2 | 25 | 40 |
| 2012 | 18-7 | 3.78 | 176 | 168 | 180 |
| 2013 | 15-10 | 3.97 | 201.2 | 189 | 198 |
| 2014 | 15-10 | 2.74 | 203.2 | 185 | 181 |
| 2015 | 12-11 | 3.03 | 175.1 | 172 | 167 |
| 2017 | 11-8 | 3.43 | 186.1 | 151 | 153 |
The Indianapolis native is expected to start twice more during Spring Training and may make a brief appearance in the minors to build up his stamina before heading north. The Twins will be eager to have him at full strength as Ervin Santana is unlikely to be available until late April after undergoing surgery to repair the middle finger on his throwing hand.
The Twins’ World Series odds have also been buoyed by the addition of right-hander Jake Odorizzi and first baseman Logan Morrison.
Lynn isn’t the only new face in camp this week. The Twins’ World Series odds have also been buoyed by the addition of right-hander Jake Odorizzi, who was acquired from the Rays on February 17th, and first baseman Logan Morrison, who agreed to a one-year, $6.5 million deal on February 28th. Odorizzi went 10-8 with a 4.14 ERA in 143.1 innings pitched in 2017, while Logan hit a career-high 38 home runs with Tampa Bay last season.
Ryan worked as an Editor and resident Lead NBA and MLB Writer for SB from 2017-19. He has authored his own weekly columns for Fox Sports and AskMen, and has created successful campaigns for the WWE, the NHL, and the NFL. Ryan's critically acclaimed stories have been published in 20 books.
