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MLB betting: Mets sign Max Scherzer, now among World Series favorites

The best pitcher in baseball is a New York Met. He has been a Met for his whole career. Despite struggling with injuries last season, Jacob deGrom is clearly the best pitcher in the game. Now, the Mets might have the two best pitchers in baseball. The Mets have reportedly agreed to a 3 year, 130 million dollar contract with Max Scherzer.

After spending a majority of the season on top of the NL East in 2021, the Mets collapsed down the stretch and paved the way for the Atlanta Braves to win the division and eventually the World Series. It appears obvious that owner Steve Cohen and the rest of the organization are not happy with how things unfolded. The Mets have had a big offseason, What kind of impact has it had on the World Series futures market?

Scherzer the big get in active offseason

Max Scherzer is 37 years old, but there's no reason to believe he's slowing down. Last season, he split time with the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers. He pitched to a 2.97 ERA while leading the league with a 0.86 WHIP. He struck out nearly 12 batters per nine innings. He finished third in Cy Young voting. In fact, Scherzer has finished top five in Cy Young voting in eight of the last nine seasons. The only season where he didn't finish top five was the shortened 2020 season.

Scherzer joins Jacob deGrom at the top of the Mets' rotation. DeGrom would have won his third Cy Young in four seasons if he didn't get injured last season. He pitched to a 1.08 ERA over 92 innings while striking out over 14 batters per nine innings. These might just be the two best pitchers in the sport and both are now in Queens.

PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 10: Max Scherzer #31 of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks on against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on August 10, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Dodgers defeated the Phillies 5-0. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Max Scherzer is now a New York Met, who are now amongst the World Series favorites, (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) (Mitchell Leff via Getty Images)

Scherzer hasn't been the only big splash for New York this offseason. Over the weekend, the Mets signed Starling Marte to command the outfield. Marte is a threat to hit .300 every season while having decent power and speed on the bases. Marte was the best outfielder available in free agency.

New York also signed Eduardo Escobar and Mark Canha, two solid MLB players who will add to the team's depth. A lot of the Mets' core players such as Dominic Smith, Francisco Lindor and Jeff McNeil had down seasons offensively in 2021. If those struggles continue, New York now has the depth to overcome those issues.

New York has also blown past the luxury tax threshold with these signings. The team has been rumored to still be interested in adding to their roster. Javier Baez and Marcus Stroman might still come back, but if not, don't be surprised to see the Mets add to their pitching staff and lineup in the coming weeks before the labor stoppage.

Odds shift in major ways

When the 2022 MLB futures market opened at BetMGM following the World Series, the Mets were listed at 20-to-1 to win the upcoming World Series. These were the 12th-best odds in baseball and the sixth-best odds amongst National League teams.

After the Scherzer signing, the Mets currently sit at 11-to-1 to win the World Series. Those are the third-best odds in baseball behind only the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros. New York has the second-best odds amongst NL teams.

We've often seen teams "win the offseason" but then struggle when the actual games started. It'll be interesting to see how these Mets fare. It's hard to say this is a good price in terms of value on a team that didn't even make the postseason in 2021.

Rest of the favorites

Who else is amongst the favorites to win the 2022 World Series?

  • Los Angeles Dodgers +550

  • Houston Astros +750

  • New York Mets +1100

  • Chicago White Sox +1100

  • Atlanta Braves +1200

  • New York Yankees +1200

  • Toronto Blue Jays +1300

  • Tampa Bay Rays +1400

  • San Diego Padres +1600

  • Milwaukee Brewers +1600