11/05/2008 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Toronto Blue Jays pitcher A.J. Burnett topped a list of nine players, including four Yankees, filing for free agency Wednesday.
Burnett opted out of the final two years of a five-year, $55 million deal he signed with the club before the 2006 season. The right-hander was scheduled to make $24 million over the final two years of the contract.
The 31-year-old posted a 4.07 earned-run average in 2008, setting career-marks in wins (18), games started (34), innings pitched (221 1/3) and strikeouts (231), which was also an American League-best this past season.
The New York Yankees' Jason Giambi, Mike Mussina, Carl Pavano and Damaso Marte also filed on Wednesday.
Giambi finished off his seventh year in pinstripes with a .247 average, 32 home runs and 96 runs batted in. Mussina was a 20-game winner for the first time in his 18-year career last season, posting a 3.37 ERA in 34 starts. Mussina, who turns 40 in December, needs 30 wins to reach 300 for his career.
The oft-injured Pavano returned from reconstructive elbow surgery this past August and went 4-2 with a 5.77 ERA in seven starts down the stretch for New York. Marte, acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates as part of the Xavier Nady trade last season, was 1-3 with a 5.40 ERA in 25 appearances after coming to New York.
Atlanta Braves hurlers Tom Glavine and Mike Hampton will also test the market this off-season. Glavine returned to Atlanta after a five-year stint with the New York Mets but was hampered with injuries all season, making just 13 starts, and underwent season-ending elbow surgery this past August. The 42- year-old ranks 21st on the all-time wins list with 305 over a 22-year career.
The injury-plagued Hampton made just 13 starts for Atlanta last season after missing all of the 2007 and 2006 seasons with a variety of ailments. He had his 2005 season cut short after undergoing Tommy John surgery and then had season-ending elbow surgery in April of 2007.
Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Jeff Kent and Tampa Bay reliever Trever Miller rounded out the filings.
Kent, 40, was limited with injuries last season and underwent arthroscopic knee surgery to repair torn cartilage in September. He finished the campaign with a .280 average, 12 homers and 59 RBI in what was his 17th Major League season.
Miller made 68 appearances for the Rays last season out of the bullpen and went 2-0 with a 4.15 ERA in 43 1/3 innings of work.
<< Raiders release CB Hall
Alameda, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Raiders released cornerback
DeAngelo Hall on Wednesday, just eight games into a seven-year contract worth
up to $70 million.
Hall has collected $8 million of that money and would be owed $1
<< Prince will not return to Kansas State for 2009
Manhattan, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kansas State head football coach Ron Prince
will not return for the 2009 season, the school announced Wednesday.
The Wildcats are 4-5 this season and have lost three consecutive contests.
Kansas State
<< Browns WR Stallworth probable
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte'
Stallworth is probable for Thursday's contest against the Denver Broncos.
He did not play in Sunday's 37-27 loss to the Baltimore Ravens last
Sunday d
<< Serena, Venus post wins at season-ending Championships
Doha, Qatar (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The powerful Williams sisters, Serena and
Venus, were among Wednesday's round-robin winners at the season-ending $4.55
million Sony Ericsson Championships.
A third-seeded former world No. 1 Serena saw
Around FCS: Campaigning for playoff berths >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - As a nation, we've watched an exhausting
presidential campaign wind its way to the finish line with the election of
Barack Obama on Tuesday. I, for one, am glad it doesn't take that long for
teams to
Gwynn inks new deal with San Diego State >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Longtime San Diego Padre Tony Gwynn has
signed a new three-year contract as the head coach of the San Diego State
baseball team.
The Hall of Famer has spent six seasons as the Aztecs' skipper and h
Iverson's Pistons debut delayed >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Allen Iverson will not play in the Detroit
Pistons' game Wednesday against the Toronto Raptors.
Iverson came to the Pistons in a blockbuster trade Monday that brought the
guard from Denver in exchan
Host of Yankees highlight latest free agency filings >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees accounted for half of
the eight players filing for free agency Wednesday.
New York's Jason Giambi, Mike Mussina, Carl Pavano and Damaso Marte will each
be testing the free agents wate
Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook
Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds. The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.
Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.
Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).
Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.
World Series odds
Adam Dunn 15-1
Albert Pujols 5-1
Alex Rodriguez 12-1
Alfonso Soriano 15-1
Andruw Jones 25-1
Barry Bonds 50-1
Carlos Delgado 40-1
David Ortiz 8-1
Jermaine Dye 40-1
Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1
Lance Berkman 40-1
Manny Ramirez 20-1
Richie Sexson 40-1
Ryan Howard 6-1
Travis Hafner 20-1
Vladimir Guerrero 40-1
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
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