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The Cubs are coming off a disappointing 2019 campaign that saw them nosedive in September, squandering not only the National League Central Division championship, but also a Wild Card berth. To add insult to injury, they sat and watched a wild card team go on top win it all. The fallout cost Joe Maddon a chance to lead the team to another playoff berth and he wound up as manager of the Los Angeles Angels for 2020. What would have been the odds of that happening at this time last year?
So how about 2020? Can Kris Bryant regain his previous form? Or is he coming in with a chip on his shoulder having lost his arbitration case? Can Anthony Rizzo stay healthy and hit 30 or more homers? Or will he struggle to stay in the everyday lineup? Who will lead the Cubs pitching rotation in 2020? Is Jon Lester going to start his downward spiral as he ages? Can Craig Kimbrel get back to his former self or was the September meltdown a sign of things to come? How about Yu Darvish? Is he done? If Kimbrel doesn’t cut it, how about new relief pitching acquisition Jeremy Jeffress? Just two seasons ago, he was an All-Star with the Milwaukee Brewers, but injuries plagued him in 2019. If he can regain some of his 2018 form, he can help the Cubs bullpen, who will be without Steve Cishek and Pedro Strop, who signed with new teams.
The Cubs have slipped to the middle of the pack when it comes to their odds to win the World Series. As you suspect, the favorites are the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers after the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox have had very tumultuous off-seasons. Both teams lost their managers in the wake of a cheating scandal that brought back 100-year-old memories of the Black Sox.
The Yankees are currently 3-1 according to VegasInsider. The Dodgers are 6-1 and the Astros have fallen to 8-1. The Cubs are in a group of teams at 30-1 that include the Cincinnati Reds and Maddon’s Angels. At 25-1 we have the Tampa Bay Rays, the Cleveland Indians, the Oakland A’s and the Red Sox. The Rays and A’s were Wild Cards last season while the Sox and Indians were contenders.
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None of these teams would shock the baseball world if they were to win it all. After all, who had the Washington Nationals winning the World Series this time last year? They had just watched Bryce Harper sign with a division rival in the Philadelphia Phillies and were obviously not looking forward to
the start of the season. The Nats started the year miserably and in late May, they led only the Miami Marlins in the National League East.
If you think 30-1 is too much for your risk tolerance, how about 3-1? Those are the odds of the Cubs winning the NL Central. The archrival St. Louis Cardinals are the favorites at 3-2 and the up and coming Cincinnati Reds are also 3-1. The Brewers are 4-1 and the Pittsburgh Pirates bring up the rear at 100-1.
The Cubs have as good of a chance as any to win the division if Darvish and Lester can pitch near their former selves. They have one of the game’s best players in Javy Baez leading the way with a bunch of veterans with championship experience. Now they have one more thing going for them, motivation. For the past few years, the Cubs have been the hunted in the division. Now they go back to being the hunter. This could work in their favor.
So where does one go in Illinois to place your bets on the beloved Cubbies?
If you are in, Illinois make sure to look for the best places to place your bet that are legal and regulated. You can also consider the Daily Fantasy Sports sites, Draft Kings and Fan Duel. These are more for the in-season betting where a bettor can go to place bets on their “picks to click” for that particular game.
For the props, make sure to look for the best places to place your bets that are legal ad regulated. Two places you can go to, Caesar’s, who owns a casino in Illinois, or Points Bet, who is operating in two places in the state at Hollywood Casino.
Caesar’s is owned by Harrah’s of Las Vegas. They are trusted in the industry with five-star ratings on important issues such as Cash Out time, customer service and Welcome Offers.
Points Bet also has very high ratings in these areas as well. In fact, they are currently running a special where a $50 deposit gives you $150 to bet with. That should fit into all bettor’s budgets, even those with low-risk tolerance.
Season props should be available soon, such as number of home runs Bryant and Rizzo will hit, number of strikeouts for Darvish and Lester, number of saves for Kimbrel, Baez being the All-Star starting shortstop and more.
