Red Sox Listed As Overwhelming Favorites To Land Frontline Starter By Oddsmaker
Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has been on the hunt to improve the pitching staff this offseason, aiming to add multiple starting pitchers.
Thus far, there has yet to be any activity but at least one oddsmaker believes the Red Sox are in a strong position to land a notable starter.
The Red Sox are listed as the overwhelming favorites to sign left-hander Jordan Montgomery according to the oddsmakers at BetOnline. Boston enters with +125 odds (44.44% implied chance) to land the intriguing 30-year-old hurler, who is set for a notable payday.
The New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals are tied for the second-best odds at +300 (25%). The New York Yankees are the only other organization listed as realistically in the race with +500 odds (16.67%).
Montgomery posted a 3.20 ERA with a 166-to-48 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .247 batting average against and 1.19 WHIP in 188 2/3 innings between his time with the St. Louis Cardinals and the Texas Rangers.
It makes a lot of sense for the Red Sox to be listed as high as they are. Boston reportedly has Montgomery ahead of all other stateside starters on the market -- trailing only Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
At this juncture, it would be hard to feel great about the Red Sox landing the Japanese superstar with so many other big-market suitors in the mix. If they do fail to sign Yamamoto, it seems highly likely they turn all their attention to Montgomery.
Breslow is expected to make a splash this winter. Montgomery appears to be the most logical player to fit the description in a pitcher-heavy market.
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