Vegas Book Releases Updated World Series Odds, Blue Jays at 30/1

Westgate SuperBook released their updated 2018 World Series odds this week and the Jays sit at 30/1 to win it all in October, which is what they were at to end their crash and burn season last year. Even though they had a pretty good winter – not getting the big fish sucked, but getting a bunch of sizeable fish is fine, I guess – the threat of the Yankees and Red Sox in the American League East kept the Jays in the same group as teams like the Mets, Diamondbacks, Twins, and Brewers. Other books seem to think the same, with the Jays at anywhere from 25/1 all the way to 40/1 odds.

The Jays don’t really scare anybody on paper in the AL East, but would there be value in taking them at 30/1?

Fangraphs currently projects the Blue Jays to win 87 games and get into the wild card game, three games up on Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout’s Angels. Judging by the talk surrounding the team a few weeks ago, I’m not sure any of us would have believed this team would come close to 90 wins. Winning 87-90ish games is hardly something to write home about, but that should be enough to get you into the wild card game in the American League, and if you win that game, you’re in the dance. Plus, could you imagine how great it’d be to knock off the Red Sox at Fenway or the Yankees at Yankee Stadium in the wildcard game? We’ve seen some of the crazy shit that happens in postseason, like when Cleveland walked into the ALDS as underdogs in 2016, swept the Red Sox, and then went on to beat the uh, never mind. October magic!

If you’re a rational person and can’t talk yourself into putting decent coin down for a Blue Jays World Series win, there are some online books like Bet365 and Sports Interaction that have the Jays win total at 81.5, which seems kind of low. Yeah, the Red Sox and Yankees will be a problem, but they still get to play the trash bin Orioles and Rays 38 times, so I mean…

Would any of you take them at 30/1? Would the added value of 40/1 change your mind?