The Yankees Blew the Trade Deadline; World Series Odds Now +375

• The Houston Astros acquired Zack Greinke at the trade deadline
• The New York Yankees made no major moves to bolster their lineup
• The Yankees’ 2019 World Series odds are now lagging behind Houston

The Major League Baseball trade deadline came and went, and while a number of teams improved themselves, the New York Yankees did not. The Pinstripes watched teams like the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals add to their bullpen, and their biggest AL competitor, the Houston Astros, add an ace. Yet they stood pat. They blew the trade deadline and it will cost them.

Odds to Win 2019 World Series

Odds taken 08/01/19.

Sportsbooks have the Yankees at +375 as of Aug. 1, well back of the Astros at +275. The Yankees were the slight chalk in the AL the day before the deadline, at least in the average 2019 World Series odds.

Yankees Drop The Ball

Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman came out and said that the Yankees weren’t close on any trade deadline deals. While he’s one of the best in the business at it, he might regret not pulling the trigger later on in the season come playoff time.

The issue is that the Yankees were already behind some of the elite teams when it comes to pitching. Then they sat back idly while the Houston Astros – a team that already has two more aces than them – pick up another one in Zack Greinke. Sure, Greinke had the Yankees on their no-trade list but this really hurts.

What Pitchers Can The Yankees Rely On In October?

The Astros already have a Cy Young candidate (and possibly front runner) in Justin Verlander, another stud in Gerrit Cole and Wade Miley, who is having an excellent season. Each of those pitchers has a WHIP of 1.12 or less. Now they just added Greinke to the mix, who might be the third-best starter on the team.

As far as the Yankees go, who is their top three? They don’t have a single starting pitcher with an ERA better than 4.70. James Paxton, who was supposed to be the staff ace, has a WHIP of 1.50. Do you really want to be relying on C.C. Sabathia, J.A. Happ and Masahiro Tanaka to win you a series?

Leaving Greinke aside, the Yankees could have signed Dallas Keuchel or landed Trevor Bauer, Marcus Stroman or Robbie Ray but they didn’t get anyone.

Yankees Didn’t Help Bullpen Either

One can (and probably should) make the case that the Yankees didn’t need a bullpen arm but it wouldn’t hurt. After all, as stacked as this unit is, they’ve been overworked recently and since the starting rotation didn’t get bolstered, now you have to worry about fatigue for arms in the bullpen.

At the same time, the Astros, who have a better bullpen ERA than the Yankees, added Aaron Sanchez and Joe Biagini. We’ll see how they fit in but that’s at least some added resources.

The Yankees have been without starter Luis Severino all season and stud reliever Dellin Betances. While they’ve recently started throwing, who knows how much the Yankees can rely on them come playoff time. At this point, they’re really banking on them giving the club a boost because they added no one.

What’s The Best Bet?

There’s little value betting on the Astros to win it all at +200 but this is clearly a time to fade the Yankees to win the World Series. The Cleveland Indians improved a lot, too, getting the bats they need (Yasiel Puig, Franmil Reyes), and should get boosts from the return of pitchers Danny Salazar, Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco.

This is a team that is usually uber-aggressive at the trade deadline and they did nothing. It will cost them come playoff time, so don’t bet the Yankees to win it all.