New York Yankees’ World Series Odds Keep Getting Better as Red Sox Continue to Fade

• The New York Yankees are an AL-best 54-29
• While the Yankees are 8-2 over their last 10, the Red Sox are just 5-5
• The Yankees are heavy favorites to win the AL; is there value elsewhere?

Now that they’re healthy, the New York Yankees continue to chug along.

A comeback win from the Mets snapped a five game winning streak. Before that, a loss to the Astros halted an eight-game run.

They are loaded offensively and have the assets to buy at the trade deadline.

Can anyone in the American League topple the Evil Empire?

2019 World Series Odds

*Odds taken 07/03/19. Records taken before games on 06/04/19

Since mid-April it’s been a two-horse race atop the odds.

From April 18th until June 18th, Houston had a slight lead over the Yanks. On June 25th, the New York gained a slight edge over the Astros. The Yankees still have the best World Series odds, but their advantage is slight.

New York Yankees Getting Healthy at the Right Time

The quartet of bats the Yankees added over the last few weeks have turned them into a juggernaut. Just check out the numbers below.

Statistical Production from New and Returning Yankees

*Stanton placed on IL with knee injury 06/26/19

All four of them have power. Two of them are healthy again after extended layoffs, and Edwin Encarnacion will do just fine at Yankee Stadium. Combining both new and old Yankee Stadium, Eddie has 21 home runs and 50 RBI in 81 career games between the two. The parrot will be going for plenty of walks.

Encarnacion is especially important because Giancarlo Stanton is now back on the Injured List.  He’s still a key mention here though. That’s because the way he was swinging it before he left bodes well for his return. If he comes back with that kind of an impact again in August? Watch out.

New York Yankees Get Paxton Back, Plus More?

James Paxton is healthy. Domingo German is back.

I spoke with someone close to the situation, and he named Madison Bumgarner, Matthew Boyd, Trevor Bauer and Marcus Stroman as SP the Yankees have either had internal discussions about or will be interested in come July. That specific order is how the source ranked each target

— Dan Federico (@DanJFederico) June 11, 2019

And New York is heavily flirting with Marcus Stroman, and vice versa.

James Paxton and Domingo German 2019 Statistics

Neither’s season has been without its bumps so far. Both have spent time on the IL, and Paxton hasn’t had the consistency New York would like.

With his (seemingly) annual stint on the IL out of the way though, the Yanks are hoping for prime Condor. More outings like Tuesday’s six innings of one run ball will do just fine.

Welcome back, Domingo German ?

6.0 IP | 5 H | 1 ER | 6 K | 0 BB#YANKSonYES #PinstripePride pic.twitter.com/nrj36UyfsR

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) July 4, 2019

German, meanwhile, has been found money for the club. With Luis Severino MIA, German stepped up. He’s never thrown more than 85.2 innings in a season though, so we’re quickly entering uncharted territory.

He looked crisp in his return against the Mets, and adding Stroman (or any other starter) would help manage him over the last two months.

Bullpen Has Doomed Red Sox

The reigning World Series champions are in free fall. But you can’t blame an offense that is top five, or 10, in most major statistics can you?

No. You blame the bullpen.

Red Sox bullpen:

17 blown saves, 2nd-most to Mets

4.39 ERA, 17th in MLB

45 HR allowed, 18th in MLB

— Jason Mastrodonato (@JMastrodonato) June 30, 2019

The Red Sox thought they had solutions for the exodus they endured over the offseason. They did not.

Now the closer’s role falls to Nathan Eovaldi.

One other thing worth mentioning on Eovaldi: He has already had two Tommy John surgeries and believes a starter's routine — preparing to pitch once every five days — is what suits him best.

This really underlines their mistake of not signing a good reliever in the winter.

— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) July 2, 2019

Closing games is a strange science. Eovaldi has exactly zero saves and eight relief appearances in his MLB career.

The Sox are not worth the long odds.

Can New York Yankees Be Stopped in AL?

Right now there are two things that have a chance of stopping the Yankees. Health, and the Houston Astros. And even the Astros are in for a challenge.

Right now there are two things that have a chance of stopping the Yankees. Health, and the Houston Astros.

The two teams just split their four-game set, with the Astros outscoring them 15-13. They’re in a class of their own, and if you’re going to hedge against the Yankees, you’re taking Houston.

However, if you want an AL contender, despite their shrinking value, it’s the Bronx Bombers.

The Pick: New York Yankees (+400)