By Kenny Burgess Updated: July 31, 2023 @ 2:12pm ET Freelance Contributor
The Los Angeles Angels have made it clear this week that they are going all in on this season. Rumors have been swirling that Shohei Ohtani might be on the trade block before his impending free agency, but the Angels said they were going to hold onto him. After the news broke that Ohtani was staying in Anaheim, the Angels also acquired Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez from the Chicago White Sox.
Giolito is expected to be one of, if not the best, starters on the market and Lopez is an impact reliever. Giolito has posted a 3.79 ERA this season, but pitched much better as of late, giving the Angels another top-end arm to pair with Ohtani at the top of their rotation. The Angels have also been playing well and are 9-3 since the All-Star break, 54-49 overall. This still leaves them on the outside looking in, but you would think their betting odds shifted, right?
Even after announcing they are keeping Ohtani and adding important arms, the Angels’ futures odds haven’t shifted much. The odds of winning the World Series are +10000, +5500 to win the American League pennant, +1900 to win the AL West, and +500 to even reach the playoffs.
The Angels are currently three games out of the American League’s final wild-card spot, and they have two teams that stand between them and that final spot. The Angels’ road to catching those teams won’t come easy either, as they have the sixth-hardest remaining schedule in the MLB.
While there might be some buzz about the Angels making a push, oddsmakers still don’t like their odds. These lines still tell me that the Angels are a long shot and bettors/fans should be cautious when thinking about the Angels as serious contenders.
