Online sport betting has the biggest trade of the baseball off-season set to take place as Toronto is trading All-Star pitcher Roy Halladay to the Philadelphia Phillies as part of a three-team deal. The other major part of the deal as sportsbetting reports is Cliff Lee going to Seattle. Online sport betting numbers will probably not be impacted a great deal since Lee was so great for the Phillies. Halladay is considered one of the best pitchers in the game though so his presence is going to attract some attention in online sport betting.
Halladay would also be signing a contract extension with the Phillies so it is not just a short term signing. The Phillies wanted Halladay last season but couldn’t work out a deal because former Toronto general manager J.P. Ricciardi was unreasonable. He is gone and now the Blue Jays have worked out a deal with the Phillies and Mariners.
Halladay is 148-76 in his career with a 3.43 ERA. He was the Cy Young winner in 2003 and has finished in the Top 5 in the voting on four other occasions. Last sportsbetting season, Halladay went 17-10 with a 2.79 ERA in 32 starts for Toronto. He was a workhorse, throwing 239 innings and he led the league with nine complete games.
How much of an upgrade Halladay is over Lee is definitely in question though. Lee was simply fantastic for the Phillies last online sport betting season. He had a 3.39 ERA in 12 starts for the Phillies during the regular season and then was brilliant in the postseason, going 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA and that included two wins in the World Series. Lee won the Cy Young in 2008 and is also left-handed which makes him even more valuable. The Phillies have Cole Hamels though so perhaps they did not want two lefthanders in the rotation. Philadelphia is expected to give prospects to Toronto in this online sport betting deal. Sportsbetting has the Mariners sending prospects to Philadelphia in the deal.
Just how will these moves impact online sport betting odds? The Phillies are still considered a major contender in the National League so getting Halladay and losing Lee is not likely to change their odds much in sportsbetting. Seattle getting Lee is big though and their odds in online sports betting could start to drop.