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Oddsmakers don’t like the Tampa Bay Rays’ chances in the upcoming season

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You might have thought the Tampa Bay Rays were better than last place in the American League East.

You might have thought they were better than next-to-last in the AL.

You might want to place a bet.

The oddsmakers at Bovada currently have the Rays listed at 66-1, down from 33-1 six weeks ago.

Bovada ranks the Chicago Cubs at 6-1, tied with the San Francisco Giants as favorites to win the baseball championship this coming year. The Boston Red Sox are favored in the American League at 9-1.

Other members of the AL East include Toronto (14-1), the Yankees (25-1) and Baltimore (50-1).

The Rays have a relatively set lineup that includes Kevin Kiermaier, Steven Souza Jr. and Mikie Mahtook in the outfield and a deep pitching staff led by Chris Archer. That doesn’t seem to affect the oddsmakers, however, who see the Rays at the bottom of the division and near the worst of the American League.

This will be the second season for manager Kevin Cash.

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Gary Shelton is one of the most recognized and honored sportswriters in the history of the state. He has won the APSE's national columnist of the year twice and finished in the top 10 eight times. He was named the Florida Sportswriter of the Year six times. Gary joined SaintPetersBlog in the spring, helping to bring a sports presence to the website. Over his time in sports writing, Gary has covered 29 Super Bowls, 10 Olympics, Final Fours, Masters, Wimbledons and college national championships. He was there when the Bucs won a Super Bowl, when the Lightning won a Stanley Cup and when the Rays went to a World Series. He has seen Florida, FSU and Miami all win national championships, and he covered Bear Bryant, Bobby Bowden and Don Shula along the way. He and his wife Janet have four children: Eric, Kevin, K.C. and Tori. To contact, visit [email protected].

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