Yankees Improve Sports Betting Odds with Berkman Addition. The New York Yankees are already the favorites in sports betting to win the World Series and they got some help at the trading deadline as they added Houston’s Lance Berkman. New York is leading the American League East but they did not sit still as they made a number of deals. Berkman is the one name that sticks out and he could make an impact on the online sports betting odds.
Sports betting baseball odds almost always favor the Yankees since they have a lot of talented players. Berkman will be another one. The Yankees sent Triple A pitcher Mark Melancon and Class A infielder Jimmy Paredes to the Houston Astros in exchange for Berkman. The Astros will also send cash to the Yankees. Berkman is in the final year of a six-year, $85 million dollar contract. He has a $15 million club option for 2011 with a $2 million buyout.
Berkman is expected to DH and play some first base for New York. He was the DH on Saturday night at Tampa Bay and played first base in Sunday’s game. He will probably get more action at DH since the Yankees have a gold glove first baseman in Mark Teixeira. Berkman was hitting .245 with 13 homers and 49 RBIs for the Astros. Berkman is still considered a player who can drive in runs and impact a game so the Yankees are getting a player who can be a solid DH.
There were quite a few teams interested in Berkman but he had a no-trade clause in his contract. He rejected a trade to the White Sox. He accepted the trade to New York since he is best friends with New York pitcher Andy Pettitte. The two were teammates on Houston from 2004 to 2006.
The Yankees also added outfielder Austin Kearns on Friday and reliever Kerry Wood. New York didn’t need to do much at the trading deadline since they were already in first place but the Yankees shored up their depth and addressed some slight weaknesses. Wood will help in the bullpen in the setup role while Kearns and Berkman will give the Yankees more flexibility in the lineup with Berkman a big addition since he will likely play everyday.