Sportsbook odds list the Seattle Mariners at 16-1 to win the World Series. The Mariners are a close second in baseball odds at the offshore sportsbook behind the Los Angeles Angels to win the American League West. Those numbers may be too low considering Seattle is not a powerful team.
Sportsbook numbers on Seattle continue to get attention but whether that attention is warranted is in question. Let’s look at Seattle’s lineup and starting rotation. The Mariners have a lineup with almost no power. They chose to not re-sign Russell Branyan so they are not going to win games this season with the long ball. The have singles hitters Ichiro Suzuki and Chone Figgins hitting first and second in the lineup. Franklin Gutierrez is a decent hitter but he is not a number three hitter. Milton Bradley is hitting cleanup and he is just a blowup away from going into a slump.
Jose Lopez is probably the best hitter on the team but he is not a huge power threat. The other four spots in the lineup are even worse. Ken Griffey Jr. still has a big name but he is a .220 hitter now. Casey Kotchman is a great defensive first baseman that can’t hit. The same can be said about catcher Rob Johnson and shortstop Jack Wilson. How are the Mariners going to score runs?
All of the attention in sportsbook odds in the off-season was about Seattle getting Cliff Lee. While getting Lee sounded great, he has been hurt this spring and is probably going to start the season on the DL. They do have an ace in Felix Hernandez and they are going to need him. The rest of the rotation behind Fernandez and Lee simply isn’t very good. They are looking at Ryan Rowland-Smith, Ian Snell and Doug Fister as their other three starters. Do you really want to trust those three with your sportsbook wagers?
The bullpen also has issues. David Aardsma is the closer and while he may be okay he is not a dominant closer. The rest of the bullpen is weak with Mark Lowe, Brandon League, Shawn Kelley, Jason Vargas and Sean White.
The Mariners will need two things to happen if they are to contend in the American League West. They will need a great year from Hernandez and Lee and they will need Milton Bradley to be an All-Star. If they don’t get those things they are going to be a bust vs. the baseball odds at the offshore sportsbook.