The Manny Machado Trade Is a Bigger Deal for Championship Odds Than Kawhi Leonard to the Raptors

Two blockbuster trades were the talk of the sports world over the last 24 hours. The day started with the Toronto Raptors acquiring Kawhi Leonard. It was a huge deal in the NBA landscape, but let’s be real, neither the Raptors nor the San Antonio Spurs are beating the Golden State Warriors.

The second trade of the day, when the Los Angeles Dodgers ‘officially’ traded for Manny Machado, is the one that legitimately shifts the balance of power in all of baseball.

How much did adding Machado to the Dodgers impact the odds? Per Kevin Bradley, Bovada.lv Sportsbook Manager, the “Manny effect” caused a huge shift in the odds in favor of L.A.:

"“The acquisition of Manny Machado by the Los Angeles Dodgers moved them to favorites to win the NL Pennant. They moved from 4/1 to 3/1, leapfrogging the Chicago Cubs who moved slightly from 10/3 to 7/2. They also saw improvements in their World Series odds moving form 17/2 to 13/2. The most significant improvement for the Dodgers was in their odds to win the NL West Division. The moved from 5/4 to significant favorites at 2/5. Baltimore remains off the board for betting.”"

The odds swing makes a ton of sense. The Dodgers currently lead the NL West, were able to keep their current core intact, and ended up only giving up one top-100 prospect, Yusniel Diaz, in the trade.

Los Angeles has waited 30 years for a World Series championship, and with Clayton Kershaw’s window closing, the time for the all-in move was now, even if Machado ends up leaving at the end of this season.

This will cause some ripples in the MLB waves, and I am expecting the Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Yankees,Boston Red Sox, and Cleveland Indians to counter soon or risk drowning in the waters.